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Journalism of Courage
The Karnataka Congress is looking at raising funds for the next Assembly elections from ticket aspirants. KPCC president DK Shivakumar said Wednesday that the aspirants, including him, will have to deposit a Demand Draft (DD) of Rs two lakh while applying for tickets for the next year’s Assembly elections in the state.
The applications should be filed between November 5 and 15. Application charge will cost another Rs 5,000, according to Shivakumar. Candidates from SC/ST communities will have a 50 per cent discount in the amount to be deposited as DD. The funds collected thus will be used for the construction of a new party building and as expenses for party advertisement ahead of the Assembly elections.
“Even the sitting MLAs will have to apply for the ticket. I will also have to apply. Party is more important than the person,” he told a news conference Wednesday.
On why candidates had to deposit money for tickets, he said that money was being collected for constructing a new party office, party fund, election campaigns and others. “We are not receiving any electoral bonds. Everything is being cornered by the BJP,” he said, adding that at least party workers should generate funds for the party.
Shivakumar said that a massive public rally would be held in Bengaluru on November 6 to felicitate newly-elected AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. Thousands of party workers and leaders will participate in ‘Sarvodaya Samavesha’ scheduled to be held at Palace Grounds, he said.
The KPCC president, responding to media queries, said that he was open to the idea of including those who left the party back into the Congress fold. “There is a committee for this. Anyone who accepts the party ideology can apply for it…. The committee will decide whom to include and whom not to,” he said.
