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Congress releases second list of 42 Karnataka candidates; suspense over Kolar continues
Congress releases second list of 42 candidates for Karnataka assembly elections, fielding four turncoats, while suspense continues over Kolar constituency.
Bengaluru: The Congress on Thursday released its second list of 42 candidates for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections, even as suspense continued over Kolar constituency, from where former chief minister Siddaramaiah has insisted to contest as his second seat besides Varuna.
Polling for the 224-member legislative assembly will be held on May 10 and counting of votes on May 13. The current assembly’s term will end on May 24.
The Congress has fielded four turncoats NY Gopalakrishna, Baburao Chinchansur, SR Srinivas and VS Patil, who joined the party recently, even as protests by workers of the grand old party over ticket distribution continued.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Gopalakrishna, who resigned as an MLA on March 31 and joined the Congress three days later, will contest from Molakalmuru constituency in Chitraduga district. Gopalakrishna had previously represented the constituency for four times on a Congress ticket.
Chinchansur, who was among those instrumental in the defeat of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, has been fielded from the Gurmitkal constituency. He switched over from the BJP last month. Srinivas, a four-term legislator from Gubbi constituency in Tumakuru district, will again content from the seat. He resigned from the assembly and quit the Janata Dal (Secular) and joined the Congress on March 31.
Patil, who switched over from the BJP in December last year, will contest from Yellapur seat in Uttara Kannada district.
The party, however, is yet to announce a candidate from Kolar constituency, which is being keenly watched after former CM Siddaramaiah had last month insisted to contest from, apart from Mysuru district’s Varuna seat, from where his candidature was announced when the Congress released its first list of 124 candidates on March 25. The party is yet to announce its candidates on the remaining 58 seats.
A Congress functionary said the second list of candidates was finalised during a meeting of the Congress’ Central Election Committee (CEC) — the apex poll panel of the party — on Wednesday in Delhi.
Chaired by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, senior leader Rahul Gandhi and top party leaders and Karnataka chief minister aspirants — Siddaramaiah and KPCC president DK Shivakumar — and party in-charge for the state Randeep Singh Surjewala, were present in the meeting.
YSV Datta, a former aide of JD(S) founder HD Deve Gowda joined the Congress in January, has been denied a ticket. He was aspiring to contest from Kadur seat, from where the Congress has fielded Anand KS, a close aide of Shivakumar.
Vinay Kulkarni, whose name was doing the rounds to contest from chief minister Basavaraj Bommai’s Shiggaon seat, has been given ticket from Dharwad constituency.
Vijay Dharam Singh, the son of former CM Dharam Singh and a former MLC, will contest from Basavakalyan constituency.
In Badami, from where Siddaramaiah had won in 2018, the Congress has fielded Bheemasen B Chimanakatti. The party has fielded Siddhegowda from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru district. In 2018, the constituency was the second seat unsuccessfully contested by Siddaramaiah.
