CM aide Ramesh, ex-BJP MLA Sagar join JD(S)

Bengaluru: A day after the Congress and the BJP  released their lists of candidates for the assembly polls, they paid the price  in the city, with one disgruntled leader of the ruling party  and three angry leaders of the saffron party joining JD(S) in protest.

P. Ramesh, a close associate of CM Siddaramaiah, who  was denied a ticket from C V Raman Nagar, where Mayor Sampath Raj will now contest, showed his displeasure by jumping ship. 

Mr Ramesh, who was with the JD(S) in the past, had deserted it along  with Mr Siddaramaiah to join the Congress. He  lost the last election from C V Raman Nagar and was not given a second chance.

Former BJP MLA from Chickpet Hemachandra Sagar, who was angry at being overlooked in favour of businessman Uday Garudachar, decided to call it a day and join JD(S). He was accompanied by former corporator H.G. Ramachandrappa, who was hoping to contest from Rajarajeshwarinagar, but was left disappointed, and  BJP leader Hanumantharayappa from the same constituency. 

Besides Mr Ramachandrappa, his son Jagadish and daughter-in-law Amulya too joined JD(S). 

Amulya is a popular Kannada actor, who will now be one of the star campaigners for the party. Speaking to reporters after joining JD(S),  she admitted she knew little about politics, but would campaign for her father-in-law.

Speaking to reporters after the induction of the leaders into the party, Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda asserted he had no doubt his party would come  to power in the state. “It will  take one year for the next government to rectify the administration. I will be around to give my advice to bring it back on track,” he added.

29 candidates file papers on the first day

Twenty-nine candidates filed their papers on Tuesday, the first day of filing nominations, for the May 12 Karnataka assembly elections. 

Among those who did so were one candidate each from BJP and JDS, state electoral authorities said. Earlier, the ball was set rolling for the polls with the issuance of a gazette notification. The last date for filing of nominations is April 24. Scrutiny will be taken up on April 25, while the last? date for withdrawal of candidatures is April 27. 

The results of election for 224-member assembly will be? declared on May 15. While the ruling Congress has so far announced a list of 218 candidates in one go, the BJP has released names of 154 candidates in two lists. JDS announced a list of 126 candidates in February itself, much before the poll dates were announced. Both Congress and BJP are beset with dissidence over ticket allocation with supporters of aspirants who failed to make it to the list going on the rampage and resorting to violence at several places. The poll will see a three-cornered contest between Congress, BJP and JDS in most of the constituencies.