Bengaluru, April 22: Releasing the final list of candidates for the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections, the ruling Congress on Sunday announced a change of candidates in six seats and selected nominees for five other seats.
"The central election committee has changed the nominees in six seats and selected candidates for five other seats," Congress General Secretary Mukul Wasnik said in a statement here.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will contest from Badami in Vijayapura district in place of Devraj Patil in addition to Chamundeshwari in Mysuru.
H.P. Rajesh will contest from Jagalur (Reserved-Scheduled Tribe) in Davanagere district instead of A.L. Pushpa; K. Shadakshari from Tiptur in Tumakuru in place of B. Nanjaman; K.S. Renu from Malleshwaram in Bengaluru northwest instead of K.S. Renu; M. Srinivas from Padmanabhanagar in Bengaluru southwest in place of B.G. Naidu; and K.P. Chandrakala from Madikeri in Kodagu instead of H.S. Chandra Mouli.
The candidates for five other seats are N.H. Harris from Shantinagar in Bengaluru; K. Inamdar from Kittur in Belagavi district; V.D. Katakdhond from Nagathan (SC); M.N. Sali from Sindgi in Vijayapura; and Sayed Yasin from Raichur in the state's northwest region.
The Congress first list with 218 names was released on April 15 for elections to the 225-member house, including one nominated.
The party has decided not to field candidate from Melukote in Mandya district in support of Swaraj India candidate Darshan Puttanaiah, son of the state's farmer leader late K.S. Puttanaiah, who was a legislator from the same seat.
The party replaced Madikeri nominee Chandra Mouli as he was lawyer to the fugitive diamond trader Mehul Choksi, who fled the country in January after allegedly defrauding state-run Punjab National Bank along with his nephew Nirav Modi.
Yasin is the son-in-law of veteran party leader and former Railway Minister Jaffer Sharief.
Inamdar has been re-nominated from Kittur after he threatened to quit the party.
Harris, a two-time legislator from the prestigious Shantinagar segment in the city centre, also got re-nominated despite his son (Mohammad Nalapad) being in jail over a brawl at a city cafe on February 17.
Siddaramaiah, 69, filed his nomination on Friday from Chamundeshwari, which he has contested seven times and won five times since 1983.
Though he had won from Varuna in Mysuru district twice since the 2008 assembly elections, he shifted to Chamundeshwari, paving the way for his son Yatindra to contest from his home constituency. Yatindra too filed his nomination from Varuna on Friday.
Siddaramaiah is the party's second Chief Minister to complete a 5-year term after Devaraj Urs did so from 1972-78 in the southern state.
The veteran state leader joined the Congress from the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in August 2006 after parting ways with the latter's supremo H.D. Deve Gowda and his second son H.D. Kumaraswamy, who is also contesting from Ramanagara and Channapatna seats in Ramanagara district, about 50km from Bengaluru.
Polling will be held in a single phase for 224 Assembly seats, including 36 reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes. Votes will be counted on May 15.
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Inappropriate for MLAs seeking free IPL tickets, says D.K. Suresh
Bengaluru: Bengaluru Milk Union Ltd President D.K. Suresh on Monday said it is inappropriate for MLAs to seek free IPL tickets, adding that those interested in watching matches should pay for them personally.
Speaking to reporters near his residence in Sadashivanagar, he said, “IPL is a commercial tournament and does not represent the country. It is not right for public representatives to focus too much on such matters.”
Referring to the recent controversy during the RCB celebrations, he said, “let us find out who benefited the most from the statements made during the incident.” He also pointed out that BJP MLAs had received IPL tickets as well.
Responding to discussions about relocating the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Suresh said the government has already approved the construction of a new stadium at a location he had proposed.
“I had suggested building a stadium in Surya City and submitted a proposal for it. Bengaluru needs four stadiums in four directions to cater to its growing population and encourage youth participation in sports,” he said.
He noted that apart from Kanteerava Stadium, KSCA, and the Football Stadium, there are limited facilities in the city.
“When I was a Lok Sabha member, I had proposed allocating 100 acres in my constituency at Surya City. The land was later earmarked and the plan approved,” he added.
Suresh said he has discussed the project with Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation Chairman Shivalingegowda, and Anekal MLA Shivanna.
“The Cabinet has now approved the project, and a stadium will be developed on around 50–60 acres,” he said.
He further added that he has requested the Deputy Chief Minister to build another stadium at Shivarama Karanth Layout through the BDA, where 40 acres have been allocated. Plans are also being discussed to develop a well-equipped stadium in Bidadi.
Commending state government's recent bilingual policy move, Suresh said forcing children to learn three languages could affect their comprehension.
“It is a good decision to make two languages compulsory. Learning a third language should be left to the choice of students and parents,” he said.
Responding to criticism from BJP leaders, he said their tendency is to oppose every decision of the government.
“To please their central leadership, they take a pro-Hindi stance. Instead, they should advocate for the adoption of Kannada in all states,” he said.
When asked about the earlier three-language policy under Congress, he said, “the situation is different now. Today, the focus should be on quality learning. Kannada should remain the primary language, while students and parents can choose an additional language.”
