Bengaluru, March 20 -- The Congress in Karnataka finds itself in a familiar predicament ahead of the April 9 by-elections to Davanagere South and Bagalkot, caught between the claims of political families and the compulsions of caste arithmetic.
What might have been a routine exercise in candidate selection has instead turned into a delicate, sometimes uneasy negotiation within the party. In both constituencies, the shadow of departed leaders looms large, yet it is the ambitions of the living that dominate the contest.
In Bagalkot, the passing of senior leader H Y Meti has triggered a predictable yet complex succession debate. His sons, Mallikarjun Meti and Umesh Meti, are among the prominent aspirants, alongside other family members who h...