Karnataka polls: Bharatiya Janata Party issues second list of 82 candidates

Bharatiya Janata Party faced criticism for giving tickets to allegedly tainted candidates

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issues second list of candidates for Karnataka Assembly election on Monday. The party faced criticism for giving tickets to allegedly tainted candidates. The list of 82 candidates has at least five who were earlier acquitted in corruption, forgery, cheating and rape cases.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on April 8 had declared its first list of 72 nominees that included its chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, and senior leaders K S Eshwarappa and Jagadish Shettar.

Yeddyurappa had floated his own party, Karnataka Janata Paksha, in the last elections after he was removed as chief minister by the BJP over graft charges. The Lingayat leader, however, merged his party with the BJP in 2014.

There was discontent in the Congress over seven Janata Dal (Secular) legislators who had recently crossed over to the Congress, getting party tickets. The Congress had issued its list of 218 of 224 candidates on Sunday evening.

While CM Siddaramaiah's stamp was evident in the Congress list, his request to contest from two seats — Chamundeshwari in Mysuru and Badami in Bagalkot district of north Karnataka — was turned down. The Congress also accommodated some of its allies. It is expected to support farmer leader Puttannaiah's son, Darshan Puttannaiah, (Swaraj India) from Melukote. At least five father-son/daughter combinations got tickets, including Siddaramaiah and his son Yatindra. Children of party leaders such as Mallikarjuna Kharge's son,Priyank Kharge, and K H Muniyappa's daughter, Roopa Shashidarwere also in the list.