Bengaluru (PTI): Incumbent MP D K Suresh, who was the only Congress candidate to win the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka, on Thursday filed his nomination from Bangalore Rural constituency for the April 26 polls.

The 57-year-old younger brother of Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief D K Shivakumar was accompanied among others by Ramanagara district in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy.

Suresh defeated former MLA Anitha Kumaraswamy in the 2013 bypoll after her husband and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy resigned from Lok Sabha following his win in the Assembly polls that year, and was re-elected in the 2014 and 2019 general elections.

The BJP-JD(S) combine has fielded noted cardiac surgeon C N Manjunath, who is the son-in-law of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda and brother-in-law of former Chief Minister and state JD(S) President H D Kumaraswamy, in this Vokkaliga-dominated segment.

Manjunath, who is contesting on BJP symbol, had headed the state-owned Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research for 17 years before retiring in January this year.

Shivakumar expressed confidence about Suresh's victory and said electoral fights with the Deve Gowda family are not new.

"We have fought many elections against the Deve Gowda family. We have got a woman elected against Deve Gowda. I have faced Kumaraswamy in an election. Suresh had won an election against Anita Kumaraswamy, who was the joint candidate of BJP and JDS.

We defeated Anita Kumaraswamy by a huge margin even when I was not a minister in the previous Siddaramaiah government. People have been supporting us ever since," he said.

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Kalaburagi (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said Narendra Modi has undermined the dignity of the Prime Minister's post with lies and inflaming people's sentiments.

"Narendra Modi is very good at lying. They have marketed lies. He is trying to harm the dignity of people by saying irrelevant things, inflaming people's feelings, polarizing them, which undermines the dignity of the post of Prime Minister," Siddaramaiah said, while addressing a press conference here.

He said Congress has complained about this to the Election Commission.

"We have complained to the Election Commission regarding his speeches on reservation and 'Mangalsutra' issues. No action has been taken yet. Notice has been given to them. We look forward to taking action," the Chief Minister said.

He added that people understand the lies of the Prime Minister better.

Regarding the ruling Congress' poll prospects in Karnataka, he said the party expects a good show given the success of five guarantees.

"As our five guarantees have made an impact on the lives of people and the Congress party has acted as promised, I am confident that people have trust and confidence in the Congress," Siddaramaiah said.

Stating that people will judge according to their discretion, the Chief Minister said the voters are intelligent and politically mature.