Bengaluru: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced its first list of 189 candidates for the ensuing Assembly polls in Karnataka and the party has fielded its leaders and minister for Revenue R. Ashoka and minister for Housing V. Somanna on dual seats.
The list by BJP incharge of Karnataka affairs Dharmendra Pradhan and Arun Singh said R. Ashoka will take on president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) D.K. Shivakumar in Kanakapura Assembly seat in Ramnagar district, Ashoka will also contest from his Padmanabhanagar seat in Bengaluru.
Another leader of the party who is contesting dual seats in Minister for Housing V. Somanna. Somanna will fight from Varuna Assembly seat in Mysuru which is contested by Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. Somanna will also contest from Chamarajnagar seat. Somanna had won from Govindarajanagar seat in Bengaluru.
Arun Singh exuded confidence that Siddaramaiah would be defeated in the ensuing Assembly polls and pointed out that in the previous election, he won with great difficulty. He termed Somanna a strong contender to fight Siddaramaiah.
Earlier in the day, Somanna had told reporters that he had conveyed his decision that he is not keen on contesting from Varuna Assembly seat but would contest if party fielded him from the seat. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will be contesting from his earlier represented seat-Shiggaon in Haveri district.
In Vijayanagar Assembly seat, Minister for Tourism Anand Singh will make way for his son Siddharth. B.Y. Vijayendra, son of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa will be contesting from Shikaripura Assembly seat which has been represented by his father.
Among the nominees include 9 doctors, 31 post graduates, a retired IAS officer and a retired IPS officer Bhaskar Rao, 3 academicians, 5 advocates, 8 social activists, 8 women and 3 retired government employees.
