In a big relief to JDS patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Congress sitting MP from Tumkur S P Muddahanumegowda Friday pulled out of the contest as the rebel candidate against him.
Gowda is the joint nominee of Karnataka's Congress-JDS ruling alliance, which was worried over his electoral prospects after Muddahanumegowda jumped into the fray defying the understanding under which the seat was allotted to the JDS.
"Angry" at being denied the ticket, Muddahanumegowda had filed his papers both as party candidate and as an independent but finally yielded to persuasion from the party leadership.
The leadership made several attempts to pacify Muddahanumegowda, with Congress president Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal intervening finally.
Muddahanumegowda told PTI that he has withdrawn his nomination, respecting the "persuasion" made by the Congress high command.
"Rahul Gandhi himself spoke to me (Thursday morning), K C Venugopal spoke to me several times, also our KPCC president, deputy chief minister and also CLP leader Siddaramaiah started persuading me and said the coalition is at stakebecause of my nomination as rebel," he said.
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"Though my people did not agree for withdrawing nomination, somehow I had to, as I didn't want to become reasonfor anything going wrong between two parties," he added.
Muddahanumegowda said he was "angry" and "furious" for thereason that the sitting MP was deprived of contesting election.
He said he had filed the nomination as constituency leaders and workers insisted on his contesting, after his request to coalition leaders to reconsider the decision and field him, did not yield result.
The Congress leader said he had gone through "agony and mental torture" after being denied ticket despite being "active and performing member."
Asked about campaigning for Gowda, he said, "I'm a sensitive politician..I will think over..I will need some time."