Congress announces first list of candidates for assembly polls

The Congress party announced its much-awaited first list of candidates for 84 out of the 89 assembly constituencies in Karnataka that will go to polls in the first phase on May 10.

The list includes the names of 20 former Ministers including the JD (S) MLAs of the dissolved assembly, who had joined the Congress party along with former Deputy Chief Ministers Siddaramaiah and M P Prakash.

However, contrary to expectations, the name of former Chief Minister S M Krishna does not figure in the list of Congress candidates. Krishna was expected to contest from his native Maddur, which is scheduled to go to polls on May 10. The Congress has name D C Thammanna Gowda as the party candidate for Maddur assembly constituency.

Siddaramaiah’s name has been cleared as the Congress candidate for the newly carved out Varuna assembly constituency in Mysore. Former Ministers R Roshan Baig and K J George will contest from Shivajinagar and Sarvagnanagar assembly constituencies in Bangalore City.

The Congress, however, has not announced its candidate for the prestigious Ramanagara assembly constituency on the outskirts of Bangalore from where former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is expected to enter the fray.

The announcement of the list of Congress candidates for first phase of polls has triggerred discontentment among a number of aspirants.

Film artiste Jaggesh, who was planning to contest from Turuvakere in Tumkur district, has decided to quit the Congress party and enter the fray as an independent. Similiarly, former Chairman of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) L R Shivarame Gowda has also raised the banner of rebellion by threatening to contest in his native of Nagamangala against the official candidate Suresh Gowda.

Meanwhile, the JD (S) leadership will be releasing its first list of candidates for the coming polls on Sunday evening. Former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy told reporters that the party’s election committee has finalized the list of candidates, which will be released by Sunday evening.