Karnataka: Veena’s fans protest over alleged ticket refusals
Supporters of previous ZP president Veena Kashappanavar were incensed by allegations that the Congress central leadership may have given a ticket to Samyukta Patil, the daughter of minister Shivanand Patil, and on Wednesday they demonstrated outside the Congress headquarters here.
The supporters insisted that the ticket be given to a local and referred to Samyukta as a “outsider” since she is from Vijayapura. Enraged by the reported decision, a huge crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the party headquarters. They chanted anti-party chants, set fire to tires, and vented their resentment.
They say that Veena, the spouse of Congressman Vijayanand Kashappanavar, the MLA for Hungund, has been actively involved in the party’s operations even after the party’s defeat to the BJP’s PC Gaddigoudar in the most recent Lok Sabha elections. She has been meeting people, visiting the region, and staying in contact with the electorate.
Protesters stated that she deserved the ticket since she had worked for the party for a long time. Since Samyukta had not been employed by the party locally and was being parachuted into the LS elections, they did not want her to be granted a ticket to run for office from the district. The police stopped the demonstrators’ attempt to picket the Congress office.
