Several senior Congress leaders have favoured fielding Kusuma Ravi, widow of former IAS officer D.K. Ravi, as party candidate for the Rajarajeshwarinagar Assembly seat, KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar said in Belagavi on Saturday.
“Around 7-8 MLAs and former Ministers have suggested her name. Her father Hanumantharayappa was in the Congress, but left it for some reasons. Those supporting her nomination say that she is a housewife who has gone through a lot of trauma and is not aware of such political developments. However, I am yet to speak to her or to other persons concerned about this issue. Neither has the party taken any final decision on this matter, as there are 8-10 aspirants,’’ he said.
“I have created a multi-layered system to gather opinions of party workers and leaders on such issues. First, Congress leaders in Bengaluru such as Ramalinga Reddy will hold a meeting of local workers and seek their opinions. Then they will send it to me. I will discuss it with State-level leaders and elected representatives of the party. A final decision will be taken after that, in consultation with the high command,’’ he said.
A similar system will be followed to decide on the candidate in Sira. The opinion of local leaders will be discussed at the State level and sent to Delhi for approval.
Mr. Shivakumar said that he was surprised about TV channels targeting actresses and women in the entertainment and media industry, alleging that they had links to the drug mafia, while leaving out men in the film industry. I am also surprised why only the entertainment industry is targeted,’’ he added.
