Bangalore: The last-minute efforts by the Congress to pacify senior leader C K Jaffer Sharief failed on Wednesday as he refused to change his decision to quit the party.
Congress candidate from Bangalore North Lok Sabha constituency C Narayanaswamy met Sharief at his residence, seeking his support on the eve of the polling day. But Sharief refused to openly support any political party in the elections. He, however, is learnt to have said he would support only H D Deve Gowda of the JD(S) in Hassan.
Later, speaking to reporters, he criticised the Congress high command and held AICC president Sonia Gandhi responsible for denying him the ticket to contest from Bangalore Central constituency.
“The State Congress leaders have no powers to take any decision. Though Siddaramaiah is the chief minister, he cannot take any important decision,” Sharief charged. However, his grandson Rehman Sharief campaigned for Narayanaswamy in the constituency in the past three days.
Sharief has decided to resign from the Congress for not giving him the ticket. Though he was hobnobbing with the JD(S) leaders, he did not join the party. Narayanaswamy was not available for comment.
