Karnataka polls: Congress releases 5th list of candidates

The Congress on Wednesday released its fifth list of candidates for the upcoming Karnataka assembly election 2023. The party has fielded Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in the high stakes Shiggaon constituency.

In another decision, the party fielded A C Srinivasa from Pulakeshinagar by denying ticket to its sitting MLA R Akhanda Srinivasa Murthy, who today filed nomination as an independent candidate after it was clear that he will not be renominated. Murthy, a Dalit, had won the 2018 assembly election with the highest margin of 81,626 votes, creating a record. Murthy's house along with the DJ Halli police station was torched by a violent mob in August 2020, over a social media post shared by his relative.

In Bengaluru's K R Puram, Congress has fielded D K Mohan against BJP's Byrathi Suresh, a Minister in the Basavaraj Bommai government.

Interestingly, Suresh had won the seat on Congress ticket in the 2018 Assembly polls. He was among the 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs who resigned, which had led to the collapse of the coalition government and paved the way for BJP to come to power in 2019. In the subsequent bypolls he won on BJP ticket.

In Mulbagal, the party has fielded B C Muddugangadhar. In 2018, the seat was won by independent candidate H Nagesh, who is now Congress candidate from Mahadevapura segment in Bengaluru.

The party replaced Mohammed Yousuf Savanur from the Shiggaon constituency with Pathan. The constituency is currently represented by CM Bommai. Bommai had defeated Congress candidates Sayed Azeempeer Khadri in the 2018 elections.

The party has so far released the names of 219 candidates for the 224-strong assembly. The last date for filing of nominations is April 20.

The assembly polls will be held on May 10 and the results will be announced on May 13. The Congress is seeking to oust the BJP from power in the southern state.