Bengaluru, April 24: A record number of 2,407 candidates are in the fray for the May 12 Karnataka assembly elections, as per the nominations received by the Election Commission till Tuesday, the last day for filing nominations.
The candidates included 244 candidates from the ruling Congress, 258 from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 208 from Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), 1,084 from Independents and 613 others from various regional and fringe outfits.
Of the 244 candidates of the Congress, only 15 are women. A total of 16 women have filed nominations as BJP candidates and 12 from JD-S. There are 56 other women contesting in the elections as Independents from various constituencies.
Among those who filed their nominations on Tuesday included Chief Minister Siddaramaiah from Badami in Bagalkot district, his second nomination besides Chamundeshwari in Mysuru district. He will face BJP MP B. Sreeramulu, who also filed his nomination from the assembly segment, in addition to Molakamuru (reserved) seat in Chitradurga district.
Congress on Tuesday fielded P. Ravikumar Ganiga from Mandya Assembly segment after the party's sitting MLA and popular star Ambareesh declined to contest though the party gave him the form required for nomination (Form-B) and tried to convince him in vain.
The party's state incharge K.C. Venugopal told the media here later that Ambareesh was not in fray for health issues but hoped he would campaign for the Congress as he was one of the most popular leaders in the state.
Polling will be held in a single phase on May 12 for 224 Assembly seats, including 36 reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes. Votes will be counted on May 15.
Tuesday was the last date for filing nominations. Scrutiny will be on April 25 and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is April 27.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka CM, political leaders remember Saroja Devi as 'Abhinaya Saraswati'
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and several political leaders have expressed grief over the death of veteran South Indian actress B Saroja Devi, remembering her as "Abhinaya Saraswati", as she was fondly addressed.
Saroja Devi died on Monday at her residence in Malleswaram, Bengaluru. She was 87.
She has worked in over 200 Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi films.
Siddaramaiah, in his condolence message posted on X, said her departure is a great loss to the Indian cinema.
"The news of the death of veteran Kannada actress B Saroja Devi is painful. She acted in about 200 Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada language films and was known as Abhinaya Saraswati," he said.
When we think of Saroja Devi, her soulful performances in films like Kittur Chennamma, Babruvahana, Anna Thangi come to mind, he said. She entertained moviegoers for decades.
Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said, also on X, "A loving farewell to Abhinaya Saraswathi."
"The news of the demise of senior Kannada actress B Saroja Devi, popularly known as Abhinaya Saraswathi, is painful. She acted in five languages and served the film industry for 6 decades," he said.
Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly R Ashoka, expressing grief, said her passing away is an irreparable loss not only to Kannada but also to the entire Indian cinema.
Stating that Saroja Devi was recognized as one of the greatest actresses of the Indian film industry, former CM Basavaraj Bommai said, "She had acted in many mythological and historical films and was a household name among Kannadigas. Her portrayal of Kittur Chennamma is still remembered by everyone."
Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards were sought after for her achievements, he said.
