Karnataka: Congress meeting to select candidates for Lok Sabha elections 2024

As the Lok Sabha elections of 2024 draw near, the Congress party is gearing up for a crucial meeting to select candidates for the upcoming polls. Steering Committee Chairman Harish Chaudhary will chair the meeting at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office on February 14th at 11 a.m. Key members of the Congress party, including State Congress In-Charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, and other committee members, will participate in the meeting.  

The meeting's primary agenda of the meeting is to finalise candidates for the state constituencies for both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha elections. Surjewala arrived in Bengaluru on Tuesday night ahead of the Steering Committee meeting. Harish Chaudhary is expected to lead the discussions upon his arrival in the city on Wednesday morning.

The meeting's objective is to narrow down the candidates for the four member seats to be elected from Karnataka and the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies of the state. One of the key discussions at the meeting will revolve around selecting Congress candidates for the state assembly. 

With three seats becoming vacant due to the completion of the terms of incumbents Nasir Hussain, L. Hanumantaiah, and G.C. Chandrasekhar's terms, intense lobbying is underway for the contest is underway again. The High Command is expected to recommend candidates for nomination by the state leadership this time. The High Command is likely to suggest Abhishek Manu Singvi's name to the Rajya Sabha.

While considering the possibility of Sharmila Reddy contesting for the Lok Sabha, she has decided to directly contest, thereby making Manu Singvi's name prominent for the Rajya Sabha nomination. Senior leaders such as B.L. Shankar and Mansoor Ali Khan are also vying for nominations as lobbying intensifies.