With the goal of defeating the BJP in the parliamentary polls to be held in Karnataka on April 26 and May 7, the grand old party has given tickets to kith and kin of the incumbent ministers and other leaders, taking a leaf out of the 'Parivar' politics, followed by Janata Dal Secular and the BJP.

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The Congress has given tickets to two sons of ministers, Lakshmi Hebbalkar and Eshwar Khandre; daughters of Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarkiholi and Shivananda Patil,  brother of Deputy Chief minister D.K.Shivakumar,  wife of Minister SS Mallikarjun, sister of Minister Madhu Bangarappa, son-in-law of AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge and grandson of former minister Puttaswamygowda.

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Prof Rajeev Gowda is son of a veteran Congress leader and Mansoor Ali Khan,  is the son of Rehman Khan. Vinod Asuti who has been given a ticket is the son of senior Congress leader Neelakanta Asuti.

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The list is likely to grow further as the party was yet to announce the candidates for another four constituencies. Another son of Minister Dr H.C.Mahadevappa is expected to get a ticket from Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituency.

The grand old party had been trolled for giving tickets to the powerful families of Hebbalkars, Jarkiholis, Kharges, Reddys, Patils and Gowdas. All these years, the Congress leaders were branding Janata Dal Secular as the party of 'Appa mattu Makkalu' ( father and sons). Henceforth, they can't use that phrase against the JDS, not after giving the maximum number of tickets to the kith and kin of ministers.

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One troll has termed giving tickets to eight family members of the total 28 as ' eight guarantees' , but that could be rejected by the people outright. Another has said the party had given tickets to ministers kith and kin, and only  ' Chembu'  (empty pot) to workers. Since the party has more faith in its ministers let them get their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and daughter -in-laws win on their own without the help of workers, said another critic.

Only three candidates were given tickets without any links to politicians  - M.Lakshman, Dr Anjali Nimbalkar, and  retired IAS officer Kumar Naik, Padmaraj.