Karnataka polls: Congress, BJP to release candidate list next week amid shifting loyalties

The Congress as well as the BJP expect to bring out their first list of candidates for the Karnataka assembly election by April 11, although nominations can be filed up to April 25.

The ruling Congress has completed two rounds of discussions, one for the seats that it did not win in 2013 and the second for the 122 that it did.

“The district presidents and in-charge ministers were taken into confidence while vetting the applications,” said a state office-bearer. “For the seats that we did not win, two or three names for each seat have been suggested by the 40-member state election committee. All the sitting MLAs have been recommended for their seats, except in the case of the three who have died and a couple more who are ailing.” The BJP is currently engaged in candidate selection.


“We will release a first list in the next four days. The second list will be released after that,” said Muralidhar Rao, BJP general secretary in charge of Karnataka.

A senior BJP leader, however, said on condition of anonymity, “The contentious seats will invariably get finalised only on the last day, irrespective of any intention of consolidated single lists.”

Polling for the 224-member assembly is scheduled for May 12. Both parties are dealing with issues of “dynasty”, with the son of chief minister Siddaramaiah and two sons of BJP’s chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa said to be aspiring for party tickets.

Siddaramaiah ’s son Yathindra is tipped to get the Congress ticket for Varuna while, BJP members said, Yeddyurappa’s elder son BY Raghavendra might get the ticket for Ranebennur. His younger son Vijayendra has indicated he wants to fight Yathindra in Varuna.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara has been noncommittal on the issue of giving party tickets to more than one member of a family. “It is a decision by the high command,” he said.

There are already two examples of fathers and sons getting tickets for neighbouring constituencies in the Congress, in M Krishnappa and Priya Krishna in Bengaluru, and Shamanur Shivashankarappa and SS Mallikarjun in Davanagere, while brothers Ramesh and Satish Jarkhiholi are MLAs from Belgavi district.

BJP’s Rao took a stand similar to Parameshwara’s. “The BJP is not in favour of dynasty. But a decision on this matter will be taken by the central core committee,” he said. The BJP is holding discussions with the district presidents, secretaries and MLAs.

Like the Congress, it has got about 20 applications each for several seats. “It is a difficult task to wade through. However, two-three candidates for each seat will be sent to party chief Amit Shah, who will take the final decision along with Yeddyurappa on all candidates,” said a state office-bearer.