BJP names 10 more Karnataka polls candidates, replaces Jagadish Shettar with Mahesh Tenginkai for Hubli-Dharwad Central

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday released its third list of 10 candidates for the Karnataka assembly election and fielded its state general secretary Mahesh Tenginkai from Hubli-Dharwad Central. The seat was earlier held by veteran ex-chief minister Jagadish Shettar, who has joined the Congress after being denied a ticket by the BJP. Among some of the biggest changes, the BJP also dropped its seasoned leader Arvind Limbavali from Mahadevapura constituency but, in an apparent bid to placate him, has fielded his wife Manula Aravind Limbavali.

The BJP has so far named 222 candidates for the May 10 polls to the 224-member assembly. The last date for filing nominations is April 20.

Ex-CM Kumaraswamy, state Cong chief Shivakumar file nominations 

Even as the BJP released its list of 10 candidates, former chief minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy, state Congress president D K Shivakumar, and BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa's son BY Vijayendra were among the prominent leaders who filed their nominations on Monday for the May 10 Assembly polls.

Roadshows, drum beats, sloganeering, waving of party flags, and visits to temples marked the day in most constituencies across the state today, with a large number of candidates and leaders filing their papers.

While Kumaraswamy held a road show ahead of filing nominations in Channapatna, Shivakumar too held a road show and visited a temple of his family deity Kabbalamma, accompanied by his wife, in Kanakapura, where the BJP has fielded its Vokkaliga face and Minister R Ashoka against him.

Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination, Shivakumar said that he had nurtured hundreds of leaders in the constituency in the past 35 years and they would fight the election on his behalf, the results of which would be seen on the day of announcement of results.

"I'm not the candidate here. Every household and family in this constituency will do the elections thinking themselves as the candidates, as I have served them for 35 years..." he said.

Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy filed his nomination in Ramanagara accompanied by his mother and JD(S) sitting MLA from the segment Anitha Kumaraswamy. Nikhil, an actor-turned-politician, contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Mandya unsuccessfully.

(With inputs from PTI)