Drama done: D K Shivakumar’s nomination accepted from Kanakapura seat

All speculations have been set aside and the nomination of Congress leader D K Shivakumar has been accepted by the returning officer for the Kanakapura assembly seat.

This has paved the way for the high-profile battle between Shivakumar and BJP strongman, R Ashok from the seat. Polling will be held on May 10 in Karnataka, while the results will be out on May 13.

Shivakumar who is a chief ministerial candidate was worried that his nomination could be rejected on legal grounds. He had accused the BJP of conspiring to push him out of the electoral battle. As a fall back option, his brother, D K suresh had also filed the papers from the same seat. Suresh is a Congress Member of Parliament.

Not just Shivakumar, but the nominations of other politicians, who had asked their family members to file the papers have been accepted. This includes K J George and Satish Jarkiholli of the Congress.

The returning officer of Kanakapura had ruled out a discrepancy in the nomination filed by Shivakumar during the scrutiny. This comes in the wake of the Karnataka High Court rejecting a plea filed by Shivakumar in a disproportionate assets case.

The last date for the withdrawal of nominations is April 24.

The battle in Karnataka is a closely fought one. The fight is between the ruling BJP, opposition Congress and Janata Dal (S). The BJP is battling anti-incumbency and heavy rebellion. The Congress on the other hand is witnessing a close fight within the party between Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah, both of whom are aspiring to become chief ministers.

Shivakumar on the other hand has vowed that he will fight until his last breath.