Karnataka elections: CM Bommai files nomination from Shiggaon

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday filed a nomination from Shiggaon Assembly constituency for the upcoming state elections. Before filing nomination papers, Bommai visited Shri Siddharoodha Math in Hubli and offered special puja.

The 224-seat Assembly will go to polls on May 10, and the votes will be counted on May 13. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the names of 189 candidates in the first list on April 11 and 23 candidates in the second list on April 12. The first list featured 52 fresh faces and eight women.

A total of 7 sitting MLAs could not make it to the second list. As per the list, Nagaraja Chabbi who recently joined BJP from the Congress has been given the ticket to contest from the Kalghatgi constituency.

Ashwini Sampangi the daughter of ex-MLA Y Sampangi will contest from Kolar gold fields (KGF). NR Santosh who is a close relative of former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa did not find a place on the second list. GV Basavaraju got a ticket to fight from the Arsikere constituency. From the Mudigere constituency, Deepak Doddaiah has been given the ticket by the party. The sitting MLA from Mudigere Kumar Swamy could not make it to the list.

BJP has given the ticket to Gururaj Gantihole from the Byndoor constituency. He replaces sitting MLA Sukumar Shetty who did not get the ticket. In the newly released list, Shivakumar got the ticket from Channagiri which was the seat of Madal Virupakshappa. It has to be noted that none from Madal Virupakshappa's family found their place on the list.

Recently Madal Virupakshappa's family was involved in a corruption case which led to an FIR and Lokayukta raid. The names of the candidates for the 12 constituencies are still remaining to be declared by BJP which includes constituencies of Hubli Dharwad Central, Krishnaraja, Shivamogga, Mahadevpura etc.

Meanwhile, displeasure by several Karnataka BJP leaders came out after the party released the names of candidates. In a major blow to the ruling BJP ahead of the Karnataka polls, former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi joined the Congress party, after being denied a ticket by BJP.

Savadi met the Congress's state president Shivakumar and the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah at the latter's residence in Bengaluru. Savadi, on April 12, had resigned as a Legislative Council member and from the primary membership of the BJP after missing out on a ticket to seek a fresh mandate from his Assembly constituency, Athani.

On the other hand, supporters of sitting BJP MLA from Belagavi North, Anil Benake staged a protest on Tuesday evening after he was denied a ticket in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections. Further, supporters of BJP MLA Mahadevappa Yadawad protested in Ramdurg constituency in Belagavi over the ticket being denied to him. Chikka Revana who joined the BJP recently got the ticket from the constituency.

In the 2018 polls, the BJP emerged as the largest single party, winning 104 seats, with the Congress and then ally JD(S) bagging 80 and 37 seats respectively. The term of the current Karnataka Legislative Assembly will end on May 24.