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No Kolar seat for Siddaramaiah in Cong 3rd list; ex-deputy CM fielded
Congress releases third list of 43 candidates for Karnataka elections, excludes former CM Siddaramaiah from Kolar seat; former BJP deputy CM Laxman Savadi given ticket. Party has announced candidates for 209 out of 224 seats. BJP has named candidates in 212 assembly constituencies and JD(S) in 149.
The Congress released its third list of 43 candidates for the Karnataka elections on Saturday and did not give former chief minister Siddaramaiah a second ticket from Kolar. The party also announced the candidature of former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi, who switched over from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday.
The party has now announced candidates for 209 of the state’s 224 seats for the May 10 assembly elections.
In its first list released on March 25, the Congress announced Siddaramaiah’s candidature from his home turf of Varuna in Mysuru district, which is currently represented by his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah. After the list was declared, Siddaramaiah, who is an MLA from Badami in Bagalkote district, said he wanted to contest two seats.
“I had said, it is left for the high command to decide (the seat he will contest from constituency). High command has asked me to contest from Varuna. I have said that I want to contest from two constituencies, from Kolar and here [Varuna],” he had said.
A senior Congress MLA said prior to the ticket announcement Siddaramaiah held a string of meetings on Friday and consulted his close confidants KJ George and Byrathi Suresh.
Kothur G Manjunath, who was given a ticket by the party in Kolar, said he hadn’t applied for it and the workers in the district want Siddaramaiah to contest from the constituency.
“I was one of those who asked Siddaramaiah to contest from this seat... I asked the leadership to reconsider the decision… but if all leaders in the districts discuss and come to a consensus that I should contest, I will oblige,” he said.
Apart from Kolar, the party on Friday announced candidates in 42 seats. With the release of its third list of candidates, the Congress has now confirmed its candidates in 209 constituencies in the state; the BJP has named candidates in 212 assembly constituencies and the JD(S) 149.
The third list also declared former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi, who joined the party from the BJP on Friday, as the Congress candidate from the Athani constituency. Savadi was an aspirant for the BJP ticket from Athani. However, he did not get the ticket as it went to sitting MLA Mahesh Kumathalli, who had left the Congress to join the BJP to help the party come to power in Karnataka in 2019.
The Congress has fielded Shivalinge Gowda, who joined from the JD(S) in March, as its candidate in Arsikere.
In Shikaripura constituency in Shivamogga district, the Congress has fielded GB Malatesh. He will take on BY Vijayendra, son of former chief minister and Lingayat strongman BS Yediyurappa.
In the latest list, the party named its candidates in four constituencies of Bengaluru: Dasarahalli (Dhanajaya Gangadharaiah), Chickpet (RV Devaraj), Bommanahalli (Umapathi Srinivas Gowda) and Bengaluru South (KR Ramesh).
In coastal Karnataka, the Congress has opted to field JR Lobo in Mangaluru (South), Congress veteran Maragaret Alva’s son Nivedith in Kumta and Ashok Kumar Rai in Puttur constituency. Uday Shetty of the party will contest from the Karkala constituency and he has to face energy and Kannada and culture minister V Sunil Kumar. Others in the fray for the party include Nayana Jhawar (Mudigere) and Kusumavathi Shivalli in Kundgol.
The ticket for Terdal constituency in Bagalkot was given to Siddappa R Konnur. In Hassan, the Congress has fielded Banavasi Rangaswamy and it chose K Harish Gowda over former MLA Vasu for the Chamaraja constituency in Mysuru.
