84 candidates file papers in Karnataka

Umesh Jadhav, a rebel Congress MLA who joined BJP, and former Karnataka chief minister S Bangarappas son Madhu Bangarappa of JDS are among over 80 candidates who filed their nominations on Wednesday for the 14 Lok Sabha seats that will go to elections in the second phase on April 23.

As many as 84 candidates filed 110 nominations, taking the total to 249 by 172 candidates, including five women, an election official said.

While 28 candidates are from national parties, among 172 filed nominations so far, 3 are from state parties, 49 from registered unrecognised parties, and 89 independents.

Jadhav, who resigned as MLA recently, held a road show along with state BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa and filed his nomination from Gulbarga Lok Sabha seat, where he will take on Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge.

He had joined BJP at a rally addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month, two days after he quit the Karnataka Assembly membership.

Madhu Bangarappa, a former JD(S) MLA from Soraba, filed his nomination as party candidate from Shimogga Lok Sabha seat in the presence of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Water Resource Minister D K Shivakumar.

Madhu is pitted against another former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa's son B Y Raghavendra, a sitting MP from BJP.

He had lost to Raghavendra in the by-polls held in November last year.

Among others who filed their nominations on Wednesday included BJP's sitting MPs Prahlad Joshi, Bhagavanth Khuba and Sanganna Karadi from Dharwad, Bidar and Koppal Lok Sabha seats respectively and D R Patil of Congress from Haveri.

Karnataka will go to polls in two phases with 14 constituencies each on April 18 and 23.

For the first phase of polls on April 18, a total of 241 candidates are in the fray.

For the second phase polls, the last date for filing nomination is April 4. Scrutiny will take place on April 5 and the last day for withdrawal is April 8.