But BJP says it has its own bag of tricks to counter the Congress
But BJP says it has its own bag of tricks to counter the Congress
The Congress could well pull out a rabbit from the hat for the Bangalore (South) seat at the last moment and the cotton-tail may be none other than S M Krishna.
But BJP candidate Ananth Kumar's camp says they're prepared. Captain G R Gopinath's candidature is said to be one of the ploys. With the support of the likes of Kiran Majumdar Shaw and Ramesh Ramanathan, Gopinath is estimated to grab a sizeable chunk of upper class urbanites the section that is considered to be Krishna's forte.
"It is just a sample," said a source close to Ananth Kumar. "We have done strong groundwork to tackle any heavyweight including Krishna."
Ananth Kumar will file his nomination today.
Cong confusionMeanwhile, suspense is building up over the Congress candidate with names like silk baron T V Maruthi, former council chairman B K Chandrashekar, former Assembly speaker Ramesh Kumar and Vijayanagar MLA M Krishnappa also doing the rounds.
However, a source said, "Krishna is the ideal candidate to face Ananth Kumar. Though his name has been held back, don't be surprised if it happens at the eleventh hour."
Krishna himself is reluctant to contest elections owing to internal bickerings. While animosity between Krishna and senior leaders like B K Hariprasad is common knowledge, D K Shiva Kumar once his Man Friday has also parted ways. And recently, V Somanna's camp moved over to the BJP.
Some Congress leaders have even approached Krishna, advising him to keep away from the fray.
They reportedly told him that he was too old to face humiliation in case of a defeat and it was better for him to stick to his Rajya Sabha membership.
"These are all part of politics, but the high command has taken note of it," said the source. "It is weighing the options."
