K'taka polls: Cong releases first list of candidates, Siddaramaiah to contest from Chamundeshwari

The Congress today released its first list of 218 candidates for the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections, fielding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah from Chamundeshwari and state party chief G Parameshwara from Korategere.

The party has not applied the "one-family, one-ticket" formula for the Karnataka polls as it granted tickets to the chief minister and his son, the Home minister and his daughter, and the Law minister and his son.

The Congress had followed this rule in the Punjab polls held last year.

Sources said that while the party has dropped 12 sitting MLAs, all the ministers were given a ticket.

The first list includes 15 women candidates and the names of the seven former JD-S and two ex-BJP legislators who joined the party earlier this year.

The chief minister's son, Yatheendra, was fielded by the Congress from the Varuna Assembly constituency (Mysore), while Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy will contest the polls from BTM Layout and his daughter Soumya R from the Jayanagara Assembly constituency (Bengaluru).

Law minister T B Jayachandra's son Santosh Jayachandra was given a ticket from the Chikanayakanhalli Assembly seat (Tumkur).

Senior Congress leader's son Priyank Kharge was given a ticket and he will contest the polls from the Chitapur (Reserved) seat in Gulbarga district.

The party said it has left the Melukota Assembly seat (AC-188), for Karnataka Raitha Sangha's candidate, who will contest in alliance with the Congress.

Sitting MLAs who were denied a ticket include Basavaraj Shivannavar from Badgy, Manohar Tehsildar from Hangal, Shiv Moorti Nayak from Mycunda, Turuverevere from Shriniwas and Sharabsherry from Tiptur.

Former BJP MLAs Nagendra and Anand Singh, who joined the Congress, and former JD-S MLAs Zamir Ahmed Khan, Chelluvar Ayyasamy, Iqbal Ansari, Akhanda Srinivas Moorthi, Blakrishna, Bheema Nayak and Ramesh Bendi Siddhagowda were also given tickets.

The Congress is yet to announce its candidates for the Sindagi, Kittur, Nagathana, Melukote, Raichur and Shantinagar assembly seats.

Among the fresh faces fielded by the party are Samath Raj, Anjali Nimbalkar, G Padmavati, Roopa Shashidhar, H S Manjunath, K Fatima, Madhu Madhe Gouda, MD Laxminarayan Vani, Krishna Reddy, Keertana Rudresh Gowda. B Suresh Siddhaiah, B Manjugowda and AL Pushpa.

CONG-KA-LISTCONG-KA-LISTThe results of the election to the 224-seat Karnataka Assembly will be out on May 15.