Former MP Tejeswani Gowda, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Dharam Singh’s son Ajay Singh, Union labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank M Kharge and Congress general secretary BK Hariprasad’s brother BK Shivaram are among the second list of 40 Congress candidates announced on Sunday for Karnataka Assembly polls.
The Congress has also accommodated mining barons lad brothers -Anil lad and Santosh lad-in its second list for the 224 Assembly seats going to polls on May 5.
With Reddy brothers influence diminishing in Bellary region after the CBI action against them, the Congress has fielded Anil lad from Bellary City and Santosh FROM Kalghatgi to garner the space in the area rich in minerals.
Former PCC functionary Shamanuru Shavashankarappa has been given ticket from Davangere South while his son Mallikarjun has failed to get the party nomination. So has has been Minister of State KH Muniappa’s daughter Rupkala. Now only seven of the total 224 assembly seats are yet to be announced by Congress which had earlier released 177 names. Priyank has got ticket from Chitapur SC seat while Ajay Singh from Jevargi seat while Shivaram, a former police official will file nomination from Malleshwaram. Despite stiff opposition from some quarters Tejaswani has got nomination from South Bangalore.
Meanwhile, the Congress has decided to launch a high profile campaign in the state from party president Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh criss-crossing the State during a 10-day long campaign from April 23.
Rahul is expected to set the tone for the party’s poll pitch with meetings in Bellary, Raichur and Bijapur on April 23. This would be followed by rallies in Kolar, Tumkur and Haveri on April 28 and in Mandya, Hassan and Shimoga on May 1. Sonia will address rallies in Mangalore and Chikamaglur on April 26, Gulbarga and Belgaum on April 30 and Mysore and Bangalore on May 2. Singh would address meetings in Hubli, Dharwad and Bangalore on April 29.