Former Karnataka deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi, who quit the BJP this week, is now the Congress’ candidate from Athani.
The Congress, on Saturday, 15 April, released its third list of candidates for the 10 May Assembly polls in Karnataka.
On the eve of Rahul Gandhi’s rally in Kolar, where he is set to launch his “Satyameva Jayate” (Truth Alone Triumphs) campaign, the party made it clear that Siddaramaiah will not contest from the seat.
Rahul Gandhi’s event, which was initially scheduled for 5 April, was postponed twice owing to a pending decision on the Kolar seat.
The party has now decided to field Kothur Manjunath from the seat and Siddaramaiah will contest only from Varuna, despite nursing ambitions to contest from two seats.
ಭ್ರಷ್ಟಾಚಾರ, ಸರ್ವಾಧಿಕಾರವನ್ನೇ ಮೈಗೂಡಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ದನಿ ಎತ್ತಿದ ಒಂದೇ ಕಾರಣಕ್ಕೆ ರಾಹುಲ್ ಗಾಂಧಿಯವರ ದ್ವೇಷ ಸಾಧನೆಗಿಳಿದ ಬಿಜೆಪಿ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ವಿರುದ್ಧ ನಾಳೆ ಕೋಲಾರದಲ್ಲಿ @RahulGandhi ಅವರು ಸತ್ಯದೆಡೆಗಿನ ಹೋರಾಟದ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆ ಇಡಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ.
ಸತ್ಯಕ್ಕೆ ಹಿನ್ನೆಡೆ ಇರಬಹುದು, ಅಂತ್ಯವಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
"ಸತ್ಯಮೇವ ಜಯತೆ"
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) April 15, 2023
Also Read: Rahul Gandhi to launch campaign from Kolar against disqualification
Congress’s third list
With the third list of 43 candidates, the Congress has announced tickets for 209 of 224 Assembly seats so far, with 15 seats still pending.
ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಪಕ್ಷದ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳ ಮೂರನೇ ಪಟ್ಟಿ ಬಿಡುಗಡೆಯಾಗಿದೆ.
ಆಯ್ಕೆಯಾದ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳನ್ನು ಕೋರುತ್ತೇವೆ.ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಅಭ್ಯರ್ಥಿಗಳನ್ನು ಅತಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಮತಗಳಿಂದ ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸುವರ್ಣ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ವೈಭವವನ್ನು ಮರುಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸಲು ಬೆಂಬಲಿಸಬೇಕೆಂದು ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಜನರಲ್ಲಿ ಮನವಿ ಮಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ.
ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಬರಲಿದೆ, ಪ್ರಗತಿ ತರಲಿದೆ. pic.twitter.com/Dmi5jv5iGa
— Karnataka Congress (@INCKarnataka) April 15, 2023
A fresh entrant who has found his way to the candidate list is former JD(S) MLA KM Shivalinge Gowda.
Gowda, who held the seat until his resignation last week, quit the JD(S) after the party refused him a ticket.
He will now contest from the same seat — Arsikere — on a Congress ticket.
The JD(S), meanwhile, is expected to field NR Santhosh, a former close aide of BJP veteran BS Yediyurappa, who quit the saffron party after being denied a ticket.
The Congress has fielded former governor Margaret Alva’s son Nivedith Alva from the Kumta Assembly seat and former legislator Motamma’s daughter Nayana Jyothi Jhawar from the Mudigere seat.
The third list of the Congress includes five women candidates out of 43, taking the total number of women candidates fielded by the party — out of 209 seats — to 11. The first two lists had 6 women candidates.
Also read: Congress 2nd list accommodates young faces
Savadi in Congress
Savadi, who announced his decision to resign from the primary membership of the BJP after being denied a ticket to contest in the 10 May Assembly elections, joined the Congress on Friday.
ಕೆಪಿಸಿಸಿ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಧ್ಯಕ್ಷರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಸತೀಶ ಜಾರಕಿಹೊಳಿ, ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಮುಖಂಡರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಎನ್.ಎಚ್. ಕೋನರೆಡ್ಡಿ ಸೇರಿದಂತೆ ಇತರ ಪ್ರಮುಖರು ಉಪಸ್ಥಿತರಿದ್ದರು.
ನನ್ನ ನಿರ್ಧಾರವನ್ನು ಸ್ವಾಗತಿಸಿ ಬರಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು ನನ್ನ ಮೇಲೆ ನಂಬಿಕೆ, ಪ್ರೀತಿ, ವಿಶ್ವಾಸದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆಂಬಲವಾಗಿ ನಿಂತ ಎಲ್ಲ ಸಹೃದಯಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೃದಯಪೂರ್ವಕ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳನ್ನು ಸಲ್ಲಿಸುವೆ.
— Laxman Sangappa Savadi | ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮಣ್ ಸಂಗಪ್ಪ ಸವದಿ (@LaxmanSavadi) April 15, 2023
A Lingayat leader from the Belagavi district, Savadi resigned from the Legislative Council and the BJP before heading to the office of the Congress.
“From today onwards, I have no connection with the BJP. I will be a devoted and loyal worker of the Congress, just as I was in the BJP for 20=25 years,” he said.
