362 LS nominees in Karnataka's first phase

A total of 362 candidates have filed nominations from 14 constituencies in the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka on April 18, an official statement said on Tuesday.

With the last date for filing nominations for the first phase having ended on Tuesday, 362 candidates filed papers in 14 parliamentary seats, Karnataka chief electoral officer Sanjiv Kumar said in the statement.

The 14 constituencies, spread over the central and southern regions of the state, are Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamrajnagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkaballapur and Kolar.

Chamrajnagar, Chitradurga and Kolar are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) candidates.

"The nominates will be scrutinised on Wednesday and the last date for withdrawal is on March 29, after which the final number of candidates in the fray will be known," Kumar said.

The maximum number of candidates is 40 in Bangalore North and minimum 13 in Chamrajnagar Hassan.

With the ruling allies Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) entering into a pre-poll alliance to field joint candidates, the electoral battle will mainly be a straight contest against the BJP in 13 seats, while it will be between Nikhil Kumaraswamy of the JD-S versus Independent Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya.

Nikshil is the son of state Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and grandson of JD-S supremo H.D. Deve Gowda.

Of the 14 seats, Congress is contesting in 9 -- Bangalore Central, Bangalore North, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore South, Chamrajanagar (SC), Chikballapur, Chitradurga (SC), Kolar (SC) and Mysore while the JD-S in Hassan, Mandya, Tumkur and Udupi-Chikamgalur.

Prominent candidates among the contestants are JD-S supremo Deve Gowda from Tumkur, and his other grandson Prajwal, son of state PWD Minister H.D. Revanna, who is the second son of Deve Gowda.

Union Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda of the BJP is in the fray from Bangalore North for the second time, senior Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad from Bangalore South, former Union Minister and Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily of the Congress for the second time from Chikballapur and Shobha Karandlaje of BJP from Udupi-Chikmagalur.

Polling in the remaining 14 Lok Sabha seats will be held on April 23 in the coastal and northern regions of the southern state.

Counting of votes for all 28 parliamentary seats will be on May 23.

--IANS

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