Prominent leaders in fray for phase I polls

Bangalore, Apr 26(UNI) Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, Former Deputy Chief Minister S Sidharamaiah, Lok Sabha Member and Cine Actor M H Ambarish and Former Union Minister Sreenivas Prasad are in the fray for the first phase of the Karnataka Assembly Elections scheduled for May 10.

According to sources of the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer here today the at the end of the withdrawal of nominations for the first phase of poll, prominent personalities including H D Kumaraswamy, Sidharamaiah, Union Minister Ambarish and daughter of former Karnataka Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde, Ms Mamatha Nichani, remained in fray among the 89 Assembly seats.

About 43 per cent (1,72,88,358) of the total 4,00,77,000 voters would exercise their franchise in the first phase of the elections.

Mr Kumaraswamy, who was instrumental in forcing the state to the mid-term polls by withdrawing support for the seven-day-old BJP-led Government in the State, was seeking his re-election from Ramanagara Assembly seat, while his bete noire Sidharamaiah was trying his luck from the newly formed Varuna Assembly seat in Mysore District.

The Congress had pitted Ms Nichani against Mr Kumaraswamy in the Ramanagara constituency. Mr Ambarish would contest from Srirangapatna Assembly seat in Mandya District on a Congress ticket.

The districts which would go to the polls in the first phase, were Tumkur (11 seats), Chikballapur (5), Kolar (6), Bangalore Urban (28), Bangalore Rural (4), Ramanagara (4), Mandya (7), Hassan (7), Kodagu (2), Mysore (11) and Chamarajanagara (4).

The elections would be held in 89 Assembly seats on May 10.

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