By IANS,
New Delhi : Sons of union Labour and Employment Mallikarjun Kharge, and former chief minister and now Lok Sahba member N. Dharam Singh figure in the Congress second list of candidates for the May 5 Karnataka assembly polls.
Priyank Kharge, the central minister’s son, will contest from Chitapur, a constituency reserved for the Scheduled Castes, and Ajay Singh, Dharam Singh’s son, will fight from Jevargi. Both constituencies are in north Karnataka district of Gulbarga.
Priyank and Ajay will be fighting the election for the second time. Both lost in their first attempt, Priyank in the assembly polls held in 2008 while Ajay in a bypoll in 2010.
Congress Rajya Sabha member Anil H. Lad will join the poll fray from Bellary city.
The party Sunday released the second list for 40 seats. It has already announced names for 177 seats. The party has to finalise names for seven more constituencies.
The party replaced Devraj H. Patil with B.B. Chimmanakatti from Badami, while Durgappa Sangappa Hoolagere replaced Pamayya Murari from Lingsugur reserved seat.
Congress sources said that the party’s central election committee would hold further consultations on the remaining contentious seats and would announce candidates in a day or two.
The assembly has 225-members, of which one is nominated.
Nominations close April 17 and vote count is on May 8.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has so far announced candidates for about 175 seats.
Though nominations opened April 10, very few have filed their papers. A large number of candidates are expected to file the papers Monday, considered auspicious.