Congress replaces candidate against Karnataka CM

The Congress on Wednesday announced its fifth list of three candidates for the May 10 assembly elections, replacing the one against Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai in Shiggaon.

A day after fielding Mohammed Yousuf Savanur as its candidate from Shiggaon in Haveri district, the party nominated Yasir Ahmed Khan Phatan in his place.

The party has 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 Bharatiya Janata Party'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-Janata Dal (Secular) 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 Congress has so far announced candidates for 219 out of total 224 seats (including in Melukote where it's backing a candidate of a different party).

Thursday is the last day for filing of nominations.