Mangalore : It has been reliably learnt that former Suratkal MLA Vijaykumar Shetty who has been denied a  ticket to contest from Mangalore North constituency where the congress has fielded BA Moidin Bava, has decided to contest as a rebel Congress candidate. He is expected to file his nomination as a Congress candidate on April 17, Wednesday.

It may be mentioned here that Vijaykumar Shetty and his loyalists had lobbied extensively for a ticket for Shetty  and had even camped in Delhi for some time. Though at one point of time, there was a hope that Shetty may get a ticket, the high command had ultimately chosen Bava.

It is learnt Shetty loyalists had set April 16 as a deadline to issue a ticket to their leader failing which he would contest as an independent.