 "Bharatiya Janata Party announces third list of candidates for Karnataka polls, fields Gopal Rao against Siddaramaiah")
Releasing its third list of candidates on Friday for the upcoming Karnataka polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lifted the suspense on who would challenge the incumbent chief minister by fielding Gopal Rao from Chamundeshwari against Siddaramaiah. In the latest list of candidates for 59 seats, the party also changed the existing candidate in Kolar Gold Field (SC) seat.
The 3rd list of candidates for the upcoming assembly elections is here.
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 20, 2018
We wish candidates the very best! pic.twitter.com/DoB0cXaRwy
BJP has fielded Karunakar Reddy, one of the Reddy brothers — tainted mining barons — from Harapanahalli. The party had in its second list fielded another of three Reddy brothers, Somashekhara Reddy, from Ballari. Reddy brothers have been accused in the past of illegal mining. Their political influence within the BJP seemed to have waned after the alleged scam erupted but it appears that they have made a comeback with the party rewarding them and their associates with tickets in a region they wield considerable influence. The Gandhi Nagar seat in the capital city of Bengaluru has been given to Saptagiri Gowda who is BJP State Youth wing in Karnataka. While, the Mandya seat which was in news for actor Ambareesh’s tussle with Congress over his candidature, has been handed over to Basavegowda. The Hunsur seat which was once represented by former chief minister D. Devaraj Urs for six terms is now under the command of Ramesh Kumar. The party also announced a replacement for the Kolar Gold Field (SC) seat which will now be represented by S. Ashwini. BJP on Monday had released its second list of 82 candidates for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly polls which included names like G. Somashekar Reddy who is the younger brother of Bellary mining baron G. Janardhan Reddy. Other prominent candidates in the second list were former BJP ministers Murgesh Nirani, Hartalu Halappa, MP Renukacharya, Krishnaiah Shetty, and K. Subramanya Naidu and Kumar Bangarappa, who switched over from the ruling Congress and is the son of former chief minister S. Bangarappa. The party had released its first list of 72 candidates, including three women on 8 April. With inputs from PTI
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