Cong to finalise second list of seven candidates today

Bengaluru: The Congress in Karnataka on Thursday said its second list of seven candidates for December 5 bypolls in 15 constituencies of the state will be finalised on November 15.

While Congress has already declared candidates for eight seats, BJP and JD(S) have announced candidates for 14 and 10 constituencies respectively.

“The list (second) will be finalised and released tomorrow,” Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the state president will speak to the high command and after getting the approval, it will be announced.

Bypolls to 15 of 17 seats represented by disqualified MLAs, whose resignation and absence from the trust vote led to the fall of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government, and made way for the BJP to come to power, will be held on December 5.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday had upheld the disqualification of 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs in Karnataka by the then Assembly Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar but paved the way for them to contest the bypolls.

Attacking disqualified legislators, who have got ticket from the BJP, Siddaramaiah said “Supreme Court has ruled 17 of them as disqualified, and (they) will have to face the bypolls also with disqualified tag. People will have to decide on them.”

Meanwhile, after being denied the party ticket for the assembly bypolls, former BJP MLA Raju Kage on Thursday joined the Congress.

Kage, a four-time legislator from Kagwad, joined Congress in the presence of KPCC President Dinesh Gundu Rao and Siddaramaiah, among others.

Welcoming Kage, Rao said his joining the party will help in strengthening it in Belagavi district.

Asked whether Kage will be given ticket from Kagwad, Siddaramaiah said, “he has sought ticket, but it has to be decided by the high command.”

Kage said he was officially joining the Congress and looks forward to work for the party as its member.
The BJP has fielded Shrimanthagouda Patil, a disqualified Congress MLA against whom Kage had tasted defeat in the 2018 polls, as party candidate from Kagwad.

Kage was first elected to the assembly in a bypoll in 2000 on a JD(U) ticket and later won three times — 2004, 2008 and 2013 on BJP ticket.