On Wednesday, 19th April 2023, the Congress party announced the list of its star campaigners for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections. Sachin Pilot was skipped from this list. Congress leader Mukul Wasnik sent the list of 40 Congres leaders as the star campaigners to the election commission. the list does not include Sachin Pilot.
The list includes names of party president Mallikarjun Kharge, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, state chief DK Shivakumar, former chief ministers Siddaramaiah, Jagadish Shettar, Shashi Tharoor and other senior leaders. However, Sachin Pilot is not included among these star campaigners.
#KarnatakaAssemblyElection2023 | Congress issues a list of star campaigners for the upcoming election.
— ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2023
Party president Mallikarjun Kharge, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, state chief DK Shivakumar, LoP Siddaramaiah, Jagadish Shettar, Shashi… pic.twitter.com/kQARlZZ4aL
A significant name on the list is Youth Congress President Srinivas BV. He has been made the star campaigner of the Congress party for the Karnataka polls just a day after Assam Youth Congress President Angkita Dutta accused him of harassment. The daughter of former Assam minister Anjan Dutta also alleged that despite her complaints, the party has not taken her allegations against Srinivas seriously.
She alleged that even though it has been six months since she first complained to the party bosses about Srinivas BV, Rahul Gandhi and others have not initiated an enquiry against Srinivas BV and are instead forcing her to keep quiet.
Angita Dutta alleged that Srinivas BV continually harnessed her and was discriminating on the basis of her gender. She further said that she had met Rahul Gandhi in Jammu during the Bharat Jodo Yatra to apprise him of harassment by the Youth Congress president and demeaning language used towards her, but no enquiry was started against him. She claimed that since he is shielded by the party leadership, Srinivas BV believes he is extremely powerful and entitled and can get away after harassing and demeaning a woman in the organisation.
After Angita Dutta made the allegations, Indian Youth Congress Legal Cell head Roopesh S Bhadauria sent a notice to Dr Angkita Dutta. The notice dismisses the charges against Srinivas as false and frivolous, calling him a “well-known public figure”. The legal notice further alleged that Dutta is in touch with the BJP.
Sachin Pilot not named
While Srinivas BV has been made a star campaigner, senior Congress leader Sachin Pilot has been omitted from the list. This development has come a week after Sachin Pilot took a stand against his party’s government in Rajasthan citing the inaction of the Ashok Gehlot government against corruption.
#BreakingNews | No name of #SachinPilot in #Congress star campaigners list for #KarnatakaElection2023; Sachin Pilot supporters are unhappy with this @_pallavighosh shares more details@AnushaSoni23 | #NationAt5 pic.twitter.com/aQEwrsE8DM
— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 19, 2023
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu along with former cricketer and former MP Mohammad Azharuddin, Imran Pratapgarhi and Kanhaiya Kumar are also included in the list of star campaigners. Raj Babbar and Divya Spandana, who have been away from party programmes for a long time, have also been included in the star campaigners. But Sachin Pilot’s name does not appear in this list.
It is believed that the party has given a strict message by excluding Sachin Pilot from the list of Karnataka star campaigners for fasting despite the party leaders’ refusal to protest against the Gehlot government last week. There was also a recent exchange of remarks between Sachin Pilot and Ashok Gehlot.
Elections to the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will be held on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13. The Congress released its fourth list of seven candidates on Saturday. The Congress had on March 25 released its first list of 124 candidates for the Karnataka Assembly polls. The party has so far announced the names of 216 candidates. Now it is yet to declare candidates for 8 more seats.
