50 file nominations for Karna assembly bypolls

A total of 50 candidates have filed nominations for the May 19 byelections to two assembly constituencies in Karnataka, election officials said Monday.

As many as 27 candidates have entered the fray in Chincholi while 23 in Kundgol but the main contest will be between the nominees of Congress, which held the seats, and the BJP.

Candidates from Congress and BJP filed their papers Monday, the last day for nominations.

Scrutiny of nominations will take place Tuesday while May 2 is the last date for the withdrawal. The by-poll results will be declared on May 23 along with Lok Sabha results.

By-poll to Chincholi has been necessitated by the resignation of sitting member Umesh Jadhav who quit Congress and joined BJP to contest the recent Lok Sabha polls from Gulbarga, while Kundgol seat fell vacant following the death of Minister C S Shivalli.

BJP has fielded S I Chikkanagowdar and Avinash Jadhav from Kundgol and Chincholi assembly seats respectively.

The Congress candidates are: Subash Rathod in Chincholi and Kusumavathi, wife of Shivalli, in Kundgol.

Congress, supported by its alliance partner JD(S) in the by-poll, is determined to retain both seats.

The outcome of by-polls along with that of the elections to 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state held in two phases on April 18 and 23 is crucial for the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance, facing a fresh bout of dissidence.

Both Congress and BJP faced a few problems from ticket aspirants for the bypolls and are trying to resolve them.

In Kundgol, which is in north Karnataka, differences have emerged among senior Congress leaders, including Forest Minister Satish Jarkiholi, about deputation of Minister D K Shivakumar, who hails from southern part of the state, as in-charge for the by-election.

Hitting out at his detractors, Shivakumar said, Jarkiholi was a 'leader' while he oonly followed the directions of the party as a 'worker'.