<p>Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said there is pressure within the party that his brother and Bangalore Rural MP DK Suresh must contest against BJP’s R Ashoka at Padmanabhanagar.</p>.<p>The BJP has fielded Ashoka against Shivakumar in Kanakapura. Also, Ashoka will contest from his Padmanabhanagar segment.</p>.<p>"There's pressure to field Suresh," Shivakumar said, specifying that Congress has already given the Padmanabhanagar ticket to V Raghunath Naidu.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/election/karnataka/bjp-fielding-new-faces-to-build-next-generation-leadership-1209005.html" target="_blank">'BJP fielding new faces to build next-generation leadership'</a></strong></p>.<p>This could be a plan to tie down Ashoka at Padmanabhanagar just as the BJP’s wants to keep Shivakumar busy in Kanakapura.</p>.<p>"Politics isn't football. It's a game of chess that both of us are playing," Shivakumar said on the BJP's decision to field Ashoka against him. "I'm not new to fights in politics. In 1985, I fought against HD Deve Gowda. I've also fought against HD Kumaraswamy," he said.</p>.<p>Shivakumar denied talk that Congress has fielded a "weak" candidate against Ashoka in Padmanabhanagar. "I don't have any secret understanding with anybody," he said.</p>.<p>Explaining the political arithmetic, Shivakumar said Padmanabhanagar is home to the highest number of Naidus in Bengaluru. "In the last election, JD(S) fielded a Naidu candidate (VK Gopal) while we had a Vokkaliga. We couldn't succeed and the Naidu came second," he said, justifying the Congress ticket to Raghunath Naidu.<br />Shivakumar claimed that Ashoka would lose the election this time "because he is facing dissidence".</p>.<p>Reacting to the idea of Suresh contesting against him, Ashoka said: "Anybody can contest. It's their party's decision. I'm following my party's decision. It's a democracy."<br />Vinay Kulkarni against Bommai?</p>.<p>The Congress has not named its candidate against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Shiggaon.</p>.<p>Shivakumar said former minister Vinay Kulkarni is "a serious, probable" candidate for Shiggaon. The party has already named Kulkarni as the Dharwad candidate. "We will discuss with leaders," Shivakumar added.<br /> </p>
<p>Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar on Wednesday said there is pressure within the party that his brother and Bangalore Rural MP DK Suresh must contest against BJP’s R Ashoka at Padmanabhanagar.</p>.<p>The BJP has fielded Ashoka against Shivakumar in Kanakapura. Also, Ashoka will contest from his Padmanabhanagar segment.</p>.<p>"There's pressure to field Suresh," Shivakumar said, specifying that Congress has already given the Padmanabhanagar ticket to V Raghunath Naidu.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/election/karnataka/bjp-fielding-new-faces-to-build-next-generation-leadership-1209005.html" target="_blank">'BJP fielding new faces to build next-generation leadership'</a></strong></p>.<p>This could be a plan to tie down Ashoka at Padmanabhanagar just as the BJP’s wants to keep Shivakumar busy in Kanakapura.</p>.<p>"Politics isn't football. It's a game of chess that both of us are playing," Shivakumar said on the BJP's decision to field Ashoka against him. "I'm not new to fights in politics. In 1985, I fought against HD Deve Gowda. I've also fought against HD Kumaraswamy," he said.</p>.<p>Shivakumar denied talk that Congress has fielded a "weak" candidate against Ashoka in Padmanabhanagar. "I don't have any secret understanding with anybody," he said.</p>.<p>Explaining the political arithmetic, Shivakumar said Padmanabhanagar is home to the highest number of Naidus in Bengaluru. "In the last election, JD(S) fielded a Naidu candidate (VK Gopal) while we had a Vokkaliga. We couldn't succeed and the Naidu came second," he said, justifying the Congress ticket to Raghunath Naidu.<br />Shivakumar claimed that Ashoka would lose the election this time "because he is facing dissidence".</p>.<p>Reacting to the idea of Suresh contesting against him, Ashoka said: "Anybody can contest. It's their party's decision. I'm following my party's decision. It's a democracy."<br />Vinay Kulkarni against Bommai?</p>.<p>The Congress has not named its candidate against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Shiggaon.</p>.<p>Shivakumar said former minister Vinay Kulkarni is "a serious, probable" candidate for Shiggaon. The party has already named Kulkarni as the Dharwad candidate. "We will discuss with leaders," Shivakumar added.<br /> </p>
