The Congress has released its first list of 124 candidates for the upcoming Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections, which are expected to be held in April-May 2023. The list includes several prominent leaders such as former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, former Union Minister H.K. Muniyappa, KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar, former KPCC president G Parameshwara, and veteran leader Shamanur Shivashankrappa.
Siddaramaiah, who was the Chief Minister of Karnataka from 2013 to 2018, will be contesting from the Varuna constituency in Mysuru district, which is currently represented by his son Yathindra in the present Assembly. However, Yathindra’s name was missing from the first list of candidates, and the party has not yet announced the candidate for the Kolar seat, from where Siddaramaiah had shown interest in contesting the polls. The candidate for the Badami constituency, which Siddaramaiah contested in the 2018 Assembly elections, has also not been announced yet.
Meanwhile, D.K. Shivakumar, who is the current President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee, will be contesting from his Kanakapura assembly constituency. The other candidates on the list include several sitting MLAs, former ministers, and newcomers to the party. The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the poll dates for the Karnataka Assembly elections. In addition to the prominent candidates mentioned earlier, the Congress has also given tickets to several other notable figures. These include H.K. Patil, who will be contesting from Gadag, R.V. Deshapande from Haliyal, S. Madhu Bangarappa from Sorab, K.J. George from Sarvagnanagar, and Dinesh Gundu Rao from Gandhi Nagar. On the other hand, Sharath Kumar Bache Gowda, the son of BJP MP Bache Gowda, has been given a ticket to contest from Hosakote on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Kusuma H, who lost in the bypolls in Rajarajeshwarinagar against minister Muniratna, will also be contesting again.
The Congress has also fielded first-time MLAs and women candidates, such as Laxmi Ravindra Hebbalkar from Belgaum Rural and Anjali Nimbalkar from Khanapur, in the border district of Karnataka. The upcoming elections in Karnataka are expected to be highly competitive, with both the Congress and the BJP vying for power in the state. The Election Commission of India is yet to announce the poll dates for the Karnataka Assembly elections.
