Karnataka Assembly Election LIVE updates: JD(S) reveals six more candidates

Former CM and senior BJP leader Jagadish Shettar told that he will be meeting CM Basavaraj Bommai and union minister Dharmendra Pradhan regarding his ticket. He said, “After the meeting, I will take a decision. Earlier, I was supposed to file a nomination by April 17 or 18 but that might change now. All parties want to take the opportunity of the situation.” He already told that he is not in touch with any other party

The Janata Dal(Secular) has revealed six more names who are contesting in upcoming Karnataka assembly polls. With this, the party has so far released a list of 149 candidates. The first list comprising 93 was released in December last year and 50 on Friday.

After Pralhad Joshi, union minister Dharmendra Pradhan is also reportedly set to meet Jagadish Shettar regarding his ticket for assembly polls. He already met Pralhad Joshi and told that he explained things regarding his MLA ticket. Shettar also told that he is not in touch with any other party. 

BM Mallikarjun who is popularly known as ‘Fighter’ Ravi has resigned from the primary membership of the party. Ravi, who is an accused in multiple cases was expecting a ticket from the Nagamangala constituency. 

Former CM and senior BJP leader Jagadish Shettar told that he is not in touch with any party and reiterated that he trusts BJP's high command. Amid the ticket row, he met union minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday. 

Speaking with reporters, Shettar said, “I have explained everything to him, and a solution will be there. I am still hopeful and I believe in the party high command. I have not spoken to any other political party.” 

Mahadevapura BJP MLA Aravind Limbavali has denied reports about him meeting KPCC president DK Shivakumar amid the ticket row. He clarified that he will not be leaving BJP anytime soon. 

Aravind Limbavali tweeted, “Distancing from BJP doesn’t arise at all.” BJP is yet to announce their MLA candidate from the Mahadevapura constituency.  

Baburao Chinchansur, who is a Congress candidate from the Gurmitkal seat in the Karnataka Assembly polls, was injured along with his driver and gunman when the car he was travelling in overturned in Kalaburagi district in the early hours of Saturday, police said.

Chinchansur, his driver and gunman were all rushed to the hospital and their condition is stable. The former BJP MLC quit the ruling party to join the Congress last month.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will address a party rally in Karnataka's Kolar on Sunday, the same place where he made a remark on the Modi surname for which he was convicted of criminal defamation and also disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha.

Gandhi will arrive in Bengaluru on Sunday morning, and travel to Kolar where he will address the 'Jai Bharat' rally organised by the party. The rally was first scheduled on April 5, which was then postponed to April 9, and finally to April 16, due to poll preparation and candidate selection process, among other reasons, Congress sources said.

(PTI)

The Congress party on Saturday released their third list of 43 candidates for May 10 Karnataka Assembly elections, fielding former deputy CM Laxman Savadi from the Athani constituency. 

The party also decided to field Kothur G Manjunath from Kolar, an assembly constituency that former CM Siddaramaiah had expressed interest in.

Congress leader Devaraj Patil from Bagalkote and BJP leader NR Santosh joined the JD(S) on Saturday upon being denied tickets from their respective parties. Patil was eyeing the Bagalkote assembly constituency, which the Congress decided to give to Hullappa Y. Meti instead. However, upon joining the JD(S), Patil was announced him as a candidate from Bagalkote by HD Kumaraswamy.

Meanwhile, BJP leader NR Santosh, a relative of senior leader and former CM BS Yediyurappa, was an aspirant of the Arasikere seat, but was passed over for GV Basavaraju.

The Nationalist Congress Party(NCP) will be contesting at 40 seats from Karnataka in upcoming assembly polls, announced Hari R, president of NCP's state unit. He also told that four to five BJP sitting MLAs who were denied tickets are in touch with them. 

Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, “We will be contesting in 40 seats at Karnataka and we have our strategy ready. Four to five sitting MLAs of ruling BJP are in touch with is and also a former mayor of Bengaluru will be joining soon.” 

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai has filed his nomination from the Shiggon constituency on Saturday for upcoming assembly polls. Before filing his papers, he visited the Siddarudh math at Karnataka's Hubbali district. 

CM Bommai tweeted, “To build a new Karnataka for a new India, today before filing nomination papers in my home constituency Shiggon - Savanur, I visited my deity Sri Siddharudh Math and sought god's blessings.” 

The BJP is expected to release their third list of 12 candidates for the Karnataka assembly election today. “BJP will release the third list as soon as possible,” CM Bommai said on Friday.

The party has announced 189 names so far in the 224-member house. Seats that remain include Mahadevapura, Hubballi-Dharwad central, for which ex-CM Jagadish Shettar is an aspirant, and Shimoga city seat, among others.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday spoke to reporters and said he will be filing his nomination today. The CM is contesting the May 10 assembly poll from Shiggaon constituency. 

He also addressed the defections from the party. “The demand for tickets in the ruling party is high. Some people have gone to other parties to become MLAs. But real BJP workers do not leave the party,” he said.

Janata Dal (Secular) supremo and former prime minister Deve Gowda on Saturday said he will stand with left parties in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. “I'll stand with left parties in 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” the 89-year-old JD(S) chief told news agency ANI.

The regional party on Friday came out with their second candidates' list for the upcoming May 10 assembly election in Karnataka. 

The Janata Dal (Secular) on Friday released its second list of 49 candidates for the May 10 Karnataka assembly elections, and decided to fielded H P Swaroop from Hassan instead of former PM Deve Gowda’s daughter-in-law Bhavani Revanna, who had publicly declared that she would contest from Hassan, leading to conflict within the family.

Bhavani Revanna is the wife of HD Revanna, JDS second-in-command HD Kumaraswamy's elder brother. In this matter, Kumaraswamy said the decision was taken by the family jointly and that Bhavani had agreed with it.

Senior BJP leader and former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar on Friday gave a deadline to the party and said he will call for a discussion with his office bearers and well-wishers tomorrow over his next course of action if he is denied a BJP ticket. 

“So many of our councillors expressed their faith in me, supported my cause and expressed that if I am not given a ticket and if it is delayed, they are going to resign. So, I'm thankful to all office bearers & councillors for their faith & support. Party will take appropriate decisions as early as possible, according to me,” he told news agency ANI on Friday.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday said the BJP high command is mulling giving a ticket to senior leader and former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar in the upcoming assembly poll, after the latter asserted that he wanted to contest one last time.

Shettar had earlier said he was "hurt" at being passed over after the party told him to stand down to "make way for others". The matter is under the consideration of the party high command, and I hope that it would be resolved smoothly, Josh said in this regard.

The party has not announced a candidate for the Hubballi-Dharwad Central segment represented by him.

A day after quitting BJP on being denied the party ticket to contest the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, Mudigere MLA M P Kumaraswamy on Friday joined the JD(S). The BJP MLA was eyeing a ticket from Mudigere but quit the party after Deepak Doddaiah was named instead. 

Kumaraswamy has blamed BJP national General Secretary C T Ravi for the ticket being denied to him. The JD(S) has already fielded a candidate from Mudigere.

(PTI)

Muslim leaders in Karnataka hit out at the Congress party after being allotted 11 tickets out of the 166 announced candidates. Saying that they have been “betrayed”, Mufti Sharif Rehman, the general secretary of the Karnataka Sunni Ulema Board, said the Congress has failed to give enough representation to Muslim candidates. 

“We are seeking 23 seats in total in the state from both Congress and the JD(S),” he said in a video.