Cooperative expert Rajendra Kumar to be Congress DK-Udupi choice?

Mangaluru: Cooperative sector expert M.N. Rajendra Kumar who had earlier announced that he would contest as an Independent in the upcoming MLC election, is now likely to contest as a Congress candidate.

Congress sources said the party is prepared to issue the ticket to Rajendra Kumar and will take a final decision in this regard in two days. The term of MLCs Kota Srinivas Poojary and Prathapchandra Shetty will end in December and the election will be held for these two seats on December10.

Earlier, Rajendra Kumar had announced his decision to contest as an Independent candidate and had claimed that members of self-help groups are forcing him to contest. During the last Lok Sabha election, he had tried to get the Congress ticket but w a s left disappointed. It is said that the Congress High Command has promised him the ticket this time.

Rajendra Kumar has a good number of supporters in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts and it will be difficult for the Congress or BJP to win the election without his support. This might be the rationale behind the Congress move to give him the ticket, said sources.