Union minister Hegde, 33 candidates file nominations in Karna

Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde and Congress working president Eshwar Khandre are among 34 candidates who filed their papers Tuesday for 14 Lok Sabha constituencies which will go to the polls in the second phase on April 23.

A total of 34 candidates have filed 41 nominations, poll officials said, adding that cumulative nominations filed stands at 139 from 99 candidates.

Among 99 candidates, who have filed their papers till date, 95 are men and 4 women, they said.

Hegde, a sitting BJP MP from Uttara Kannada, is seekingre-election from the same seat.

The Union Minister of State for Skill Development andEntrepreneurship, who filed his nomination in the presence offormer Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, is pitted against JD(S)' Anand Asnotikar.

Asnotikar is a former BJP Minister who had lost as JD(S) candidate from Karwar in the 2018 assembly polls.

KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre, who is sittingMLA from Bhalki, filed his nomination from Bidar Lok Sabha constituency in the presence of Congress-JD(S)coalition leaders there.

He also held a road show and participated in a rally that was attended by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, CLP leader Siddaramaiah and senior Congress leader Mallikarjuna Kharge among other leaders.

Khandre is pitted against Bhagwanth Khuba of the BJP.

JD(S)' Sunitha Devanand Chavan also filed her nomination from Bijapur constituency, where she is against Union Minister Ramesh Chandappa Jigajinagi of the BJP.

Sunita is the wife of Devanand Chavan, a JD(S) MLA from Nagthan.

Bellary's Congress candidate and sitting MP V S Ugrappa and his opponent from BJP Y Devendrappa also filed their papers.

While Ugrappa had won the seat in the by-election held inNovember last year, Devendrappa had recently switched over tothe BJP from Congress.

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

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

For the second phase polls on April 23, the last datefor filing nomination is April 4.

Scrutiny will take place on April 5 and the last day for withdrawal is April 8.