Karnataka polls: 52 new faces among 189 candidates in BJP's 1st list

Karnataka goes to polls in a single phased election on May 10. The counting of votes will take place on May 13.

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday released its first list of 189 candidates for the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections. The BJP announced the list at a press briefing at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

BJP Karnataka in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan addresses presser. (Twitter/BJP)

Out of the 189 candidates, 52 new candidates have got the ticket for the first time. 32 candidates from OBC, 20 from SC and 16 from ST communities. Chief minister Basavaraj Bommai will contest from Shiggaon constituency, BJP's national general secretary Arun Singh announced.

BY Vijayendra, son of former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa, will contest from Shikaripura seat. State Minister B Sriramulu to contest from Bellary Rural constituency. State Health Minister Dr Sudhakar K to contest from Chikkaballapur seat.State Minister Dr Ashwathnarayan CN to contest from Malleshwaram seat. Karnataka minister R Ashoka to contest from two seats of Padmanabhanagar and Kanakapura. Ashoka will be pitted against Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar from Kanakapura. BJP's Ramesh Jarakiholi has been fielded from his traditional seat Gokak while Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri is contesting from Sirsi. The saffron party has fielded V Somanna from Varuna, who will be contesting against former chief minister and Congress heavyweight Siddaramaiah. Former Bengaluru police commissioner Bhaskar Rao, who joined the BJP from AAP, has been fielded from Chamarajpet.The party's Central Election Committee had met on Sunday and senior party leaders, including those from the state, held hectic parleys since then to finalise the list by incorporating the suggestions made at the meeting, attended among others by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.