In a sign of trouble for the Congress as it preps for the May 10 Karnataka election, groups of party workers from various constituencies barged into the state headquarters in Bengaluru.
The groups raised slogans and held up placards at the Karnataka Congress office as they lobbied for candidates. Visuals showed the protesters surrounding state Congress chief DK Shivakumar as he tried to enter the office.
The dramatic protests preceded the announcement of the Congress's second list of candidates in Karnataka this week.
"Our party is winning the election, so there is a lot of demand for our party tickets. The CEC (Congress's Central Election Committee) meeting will be held on Tuesday, and we are also getting a survey report of the constituencies. The best candidates will get the tickets," Saleem Ahmed, the working president of the Karnataka Congress, told news agency ANI.
One group was lobbying for HM Gopikrishna in the Tarikere constituency and the other, for Yogeshbabu in the Molakaluru constituency.
Sources said Gopikrishna's supporters were resentful because of reports that the party may not field him even though he was promised the chance to contest when he switched from the BJP.
The open dissent signals a brewing crisis for the Congress, which is already riven by factionalism and an incessant rivalry between former chief minister Siddaramaiah and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar.
The Congress put out its first list of candidates on March 25. The BJP is yes to name any candidate, preferring to wait and look at the other party's candidates.
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