Karnataka poll: BJP, Congress, JD-S release first list of candidates

New Delhi/Bangalore : Karnataka’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and main opposition Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) Friday released first lists of their candidates for the May 5 state assembly poll.

The BJP announced candidates for 140 seats of the 225-member assembly that includes one nominated member, renominating most of the legislators while the Congress named nominees for 177 seats.

The JD-S list has names for 122 seats.

The BJP’s first list does not have names of three legislators who had spent some time in jail in connection with corruption cases against them.

The party has renominated Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, Deputy Chief Ministers R. Ashoka and K.S. Eshwarappa and most of the other ministers from their home constituencies.

It has also renominated G. Karunakara Reddy, a brother of jailed mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy, to fight from Harapanahalli in Davangere in central Karnataka. The fate of another brother, G. Somashekara Reddy, who represents Bellary city in north Karnataka, would be known in the second list.

While Karunakara has kept a low profile since the arrest of Janardhana in September 2011, Somashekara has openly associated with a new party floated by Reddys’ loyalist and former BJP minister B. Sriramulu.

In the Congress, the prominent candidates are state party chief G. Parameshwara, legislative party leader Siddaramaiah and state women’s wing chief Manjula Naidu.

The BJP and the Congress released their lists in New Delhi after approval by the central leaders while JD-S announced the names in Bangalore.

The JD-S list contains the names of two of the party’s three Lok Sabha members – former chief minister and party president H.D. Deve Gowda’s son H.D. Kumaraswamy and N. Cheluvarayaswamy. Gowda is the third JD-S Lok Sabha member.

Announcing the BJP names, party general secretary and Bangalore South Lok Sabha member H. N. Ananth Kumar said Shettar will seek re-election from Hubli-Dharwad central, his home constituency in north Karantaka, Ashok from Padmanabhanagar in Bangalore and Eshwarappa from his home town of Shimoga in central part of the state.

The BJP’s first list has four women candidates.

He said candidates for the remaining 84 seats would be announced early next week.

From the Congress, Parameshwara will fight from Koratagere (reserved) seat, Siddaramaiah Varuna constituency in Mysore and Naidu from Rajaji Nagar in Bangalore.

Former state party chief R.V. Deshpande will contest from Haliyal in north Karnataka.

Eight women have been given ticket in the first list.

Nominations open April 10 and close April 17. Vote count is on May 8.