Karnataka polls: Siddaramaiah to contest from Varuna; DKS Kanakapura

Amid raging protests over Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification, the Congress in Karnataka has announced its first list of 124 candidates for the next Assembly elections scheduled in May.

Former chief minister Siddaramaiah will be fielded from his Varuna seat, while Pradesh Congress Committee chief DK Shivakumar will contest the elections from his Kanakapura Assembly constituency.

The party has fielded former deputy chief minister G Parameshwara from the Koratagere (SC) constituency.

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Former ministers KH Muniappa and Priyank Kharge will contest from Devanahalli and Chitapur (SC), respectively. Priyank is the son of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge.

The party’s central election committee cleared the first list of candidates after a meeting in Delhi on March 17. The committee is chaired by Congress chief Kharge. Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting.

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The Congress is the first party to release its candidates’ list for the elections in Karnataka.

The Election Commission is yet to announce the schedule for assembly polls in the southern state. Assembly polls in Karnataka are slated before May when the tenure of the current assembly ends. The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in the southern state.