D K Shivakumar's nomination papers for polls in order

Bengaluru: A total of 3,044 validly nominated candidates are in the fray for the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, after their nominations were found to be in order during the scrutiny by electoral officials.

This, however, is excluding five Assembly segments, as the scrutiny in Savadatti-Yellamma, Aurad, Haveri (SC), Raichur and Shivajinagar constituencies is not yet completed, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka said in a release on Friday.

According to official sources, the nomination of state Congress President D K Shivakumar, who had expressed apprehensions about the possibility of his papers getting rejected, has been accepted.

This comes after the Congress state chief claimed that the BJP's IT cell was vetting his affidavit. "My nomination is in order. But there was information that the BJP's IT cell was examining my nomination papers. There's a conspiracy to misuse the official machinery," Shivakumar said before the scrutiny of documents began on Friday.

Out of the 3,044 validly nominated candidates -- 219 are from BJP, 218 Congress, 207 from JD(S), while the rest are all from small parties and Independents, according to the CEO's office.

A total of 4,989 nominations have been received from these candidates. The last date for the withdrawal of candidatures is April 24.

In a surprise move, hours before the deadline for filing nomination on April 20, Congress MP from Bangalore Rural D K Suresh on Thursday had filed nomination from Kanakapura segment, from where his elder brother Shivakumar is the party's candidate.

Suresh has filed his papers as a "backup plan" in the event of Shivakumar's nomination getting rejected.

They had alleged that a conspiracy was being hatched by the ruling BJP to reject Shivakumar's nomination.

He had on Thursday claimed that 5,000 people have downloaded his assets list (which was part of his nomination affidavit).