Bengaluru: As it stands, former chief minister Siddaramaiah will not contest from Kolar — a seat he was keen on contesting from — in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections. The Congress has instead fielded Kothur G. Manjunath from Kolar, according to the party’s third list of candidates released Saturday.
The party declared the names of 209 candidates so far, including 43 whose names were in the third list. It is yet to declare its candidates in 15 remaining seats.
With 20 April as the last date for candidates to file nominations for the election to Karnataka’s 224-member legislative assembly, voting is to be held on 10 May followed by the counting of votes on 13 May.
ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳ ಮೂರನೇ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆಯಾಗಿದೆ.
ಆಯ್ಕೆಯಾದ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳನ್ನು ಕೋರುತ್ತೇವೆ.
ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳನ್ನು ಅತಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಮತಗಳಿಂದ ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸುವರ್ಣ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ವೈಭವವನ್ನು ಮರುಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಲು ಬೆಂಬಲಿಸಬೇಕೆಂದು ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಜನರಲ್ಲಿ ಮನವಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ.
ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಬರಲಿದೆ, ಪ್ರಗತಿ ತರಲಿದೆ. pic.twitter.com/Dmi5jv5iGa
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) April 15, 2023
The choice of candidate for the Kolar seat also casts doubts on the future course of action by former Janata Dal (Secular) MLA from Kolar K. Srinivasa Gowda, who was willing to give up his seat only if Siddaramaiah would contest from the constituency. With the JD(S) at the time, Gowda was accused of cross-voting in favour of the Congress in the Rajya Sabha polls last year.
The party, however, has fielded Siddaramaiah from Varuna, fearing a repeat of the previous assembly polls in which he lost in one of the two seats he contested from as sitting chief minister. He had lost in Chamundeshwari but won in Badami by a margin of 1,696 votes.
Interestingly, it was only last week that the Congress announced that Siddaramaiah will contest from Varuna, which will give the former chief minister time to campaign in other constituencies.
Following the announcement, Siddaramaiah spoke to media persons and said that the upcoming elections will be his last and he did not want to unseat his son, Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah, the incumbent MLA from Varuna.
Meanwhile, the Congress has also promptly accommodated Laxman Savadi, the former BJP legislator and deputy chief minister from Athani in Belagavi. Savadi had left the BJP after he was denied a ticket that was given to Mahesh Kumathalli, who had defected from the Congress in 2019.
The Congress has also given a ticket to K.M. Shivalinge Gowda from Arsikere in Hassan. Gowda was a JD(S) MLA and quit the party days ago after a falling out with the H.D. Deve Gowda-led regional party.
The party has even accommodated turncoats, including Baburao Chinchansur, one of the people who was reportedly responsible for Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s first-ever electoral defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Kalaburagi.
In other camps
Meanwhile, the JD(S) has also accommodated turncoats as it fielded A. Manju from Arkalgud, who has been with all three major political parties since 2013. He last contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Hassan on a BJP ticket.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, too, has made exceptions to accommodate new entrants by overlooking the old guard. Many who have been denied tickets have protested, backed off silently or made serious allegations of corruption against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
One of those who was denied a ticket is Nehru Olekar, a former BJP MLA. Following the announcement, Olekar alleged earlier this week that Bommai had syphoned off Rs 15,000 crore meant for drip irrigation projects.
On Saturday, Bommai turned the tables when he said that it was Olekar who was proven guilty in a case and demanded evidence to support his claims against him. Bommai was referring to the Lokayukta case that was probed after allegations surfaced against the MLA of misusing his office and giving a contract worth Rs 50 lakh to his sons. The Karnataka High Court issued a stay against Olekar’s conviction earlier this month.
The BJP, meanwhile, is yet to decide on the candidature of former chief minister Jagadish Shettar.
“Efforts are on to convince Shettar and this issue has been discussed with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Shettar hails from the family of Jana Sangh and is always loyal to the BJP. He is an important figure in the north Karnataka region. Talks have been held with the BJP national president J.P. Nadda to retain him in the party at any cost,” Bommai told media persons Saturday.
The BJP is taking its time in releasing the last 12 candidates list and Bommai said that the same would be decided in a couple of days.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)