Karnataka polls: BJP leadership meet to decide on candidates, Congress finalises 2nd list

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai stated that it would take a week's time for BJP to announce a list of candidates

Bengaluru: With around a month left for the May 10 Assembly polls, all the parties have expedited their process of finalising the tickets in Karnataka.

Screening committee of the ruling BJP in the state are meeting at a private resort here on Saturday to finalise candidates for the first list.

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The party had already collected opinion from the local leaders and officer-bearers of every Assembly constituency regarding the candidates. The leaders will hold discussions with core committee members of all districts for two days starting Saturday.

Three senior party workers in every district will finalise the list of candidates and send it to the central committee after considering all inputs, explain insiders.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had stated that it would take a week’s time for the party to announce a list of candidates.

According to sources, the opposition Congress which had announced the first list of 124 candidates, has finalised a second list of 70 candidates.

The party had held a series of meetings in this regard and discussed the contest of Siddaramaiah from Kolar constituency as well. His candidature had been already announced for Varuna constituency.

For the remaining 100 seats, sources in Congress explain that one name has been finalised for 60 constituencies. For more than 30 seats, two names have been finalised and for five constituencies, the party still has to decide among as many candidates.

Responsibility of quelling the dissidence has been given to state party President D.K. Shivakumar. The list has already been sent to the high command and final call will be taken in New Delhi, sources said.

Meanwhile, JD(S), which had announced 93 candidates in December 2022, is expected to announce the second list by next week. The party is likely to take a call on Hassan assembly seat, which has resulted in strife within the family of former PM H.D. Deve Gowda.