Karnataka polls: JDS releases list of 6 more candidates; turncoats accommodated

The Janata Dal (Secular) on Saturday released a list of six more candidates for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka.

With this, the party has so far released a list of 149 candidates. The first list comprising 93 was released in December last year and 50 on Friday.

The party has fielded former Congress MLC Raghu Achar from Chitradurga. He had recently joined the JD(S) after being denied a ticket by the Congress.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda led party has given ticket to former MLA Dr Bharathi Shankar to contest from Varuna against Congress heavyweight and former chief minister Siddaramaiah and BJP minister V Somanna.

Dr Devaraj Patil who quit the Congress after being denied a ticket and joined the JD(S) on Saturday has been fielded from Bagalkote.

M N Muthappa got a ticket from Madikeri, the district headquarters town of Kodagu district and Amarashree has been fielded from Moodbidri.

The JD(S) has decided to field former minister A B Malaka Reddy from Yadgir. A party hopper, Malaka Reddy was a Congress minister who had joined the BJP in 2019 ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, N R Santosh, who is former BJP chief minister B S Yediyurappa's relative and served as his personal assistant joined the JD(S). Santosh had played a key role in toppling the coalition government of Congress and the JD(S) in 2019.

Santosh was eyeing a BJP ticket from Arasikere but the party denied him. A teary-eyed Santosh recently met the JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda.