Karnataka elections 2023 updates: JDS releases its second list of 49 candidates

Senior BJP leader BS Yediyurappa's son BY Vijayendra, contesting from Shikaripura on a BJP ticket, met Former Karnataka Deputy CM & Congress leader G Parameshwara, at Yediyur Siddhalingeshwara Swamy temple.

Karnataka polls: "So many of our councillors expressed their faith in me, supported my cause and expressed that if I am not given a ticket and if it is delayed, they are going to resign. So, I'm thankful to all office bearers & councillors for their faith & support. Party will take appropriate decisions as early as possible, according to me," said BJP leader and former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar.

The BJP leader further said that tomorrow, he will call for a discussion with my office bearers, well-wishers and citizens. "We will discuss everything with them. After they express their opinions, I will decide the next course of action," he added.

The Communist Party of India, which recently lost its national party status, will contest the Karnataka election on its 'ears of corn and sickle' symbol, party MP Binoy Viswam said Friday.
The CPI was recognised as a 'national party' in 1989. It is the only political party to contest all general elections on the same electoral symbol and has maintained an uninterrupted presence in the Lok Sabha. It was the first non-Congress party to form government in any state and since then has been part of many governments.

To use its poll symbol in a state where it is not a recognised party, CPI will have to seek the Election Commission's permission. "In the Karnataka election, CPI will contest on the symbol 'ears of corn and sickle' that used to be the party's election symbol ever since 1952... The CPI will strive hard to retain it," Viswam said in a tweet. While the CPI's state party status has been withdrawn in West Bengal and Odisha, it continues to enjoy the status in Kerala, Manipur and Tamil Nadu. The major advantage of a 'national tag' is that the party can have a common symbol across the country for its candidates thus making it easier for people to recognise it. The nomination process for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly poll began on April 13 with April 20 being the last date to file the papers.

 Karnataka Assembly Elections2023: JDS releases its second list of 49 candidates for the Assembly polls.

"Party (BJP) isn't following its principles, there's only power politics. The older BJP is nowhere to be seen, they want to be in power at any cost. We have to strengthen the Congress party", said Former BJP leader & former Karnataka Deputy CM Laxman Savadi.

Karnataka: "I feel very sad about Laxman Savadi. This is very common in politics. He saw a political future there, so he went to Congress. But Congress has no candidate in 60 constituencies. So they have recruited some people. But Congress will not benefit from them," said Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai on former BJP leader Laxman Savadi joining Congress.

Bommai further said that he will file his nomination tomorrow. "The demand for tickets in the ruling party is high.  Some people have gone to other parties to become MLAs. But real BJP workers do not leave the party.  BJP will release the third list as soon as possible. I will file the nomination tomorrow," he added.

Karnataka Assembly elections: After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its first and second candidates lists, comprising of 189 and 23 candidates respectively for the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections, several party leaders, who were miffed after they were denied tickets, have resigned from the primary membership of the party or have opted for retirement form electoral politics.

For the Karnataka Legislative Assembly elections, the BJP has so far announced the names of candidates for 212 out of 224 seats, 66 new faces have found place in the second list released, but some leaders are happy with the decision of the BJP's top leadership and the party is fighting rebellion. Many leaders have switch to opposition parties or run as independents in the elections.  Out of 212 seats, tickets for 18 sitting MLAs have been cut so far, some of them got angry and decided to leave the party.

S Angara, a Dalit leader from Sulya seat and a minister in the Bommai government, announced his retirement from electoral politics after getting angry with the party's decision. BJP MLA from Mudigere MP Kumaraswamy resigns from MLA post and primary membership of BJP, Kumaraswamy is joining JDS. Hosdurga BJP MLA Gulihati Shekhar left BJP after not getting ticket, Shekhar will join mining baron Janardhana Reddy's new political party while BJP's Haveri MLA Nehru Olekar, who was convicted by the court last year on corruption charges, resigned from the BJP after being denied a ticket. MLC R Shankar has also quit the party. Meanwhile, S Angara, a Dalit leader from Sulya seat and a minister in the Bommai government, supported the party's decision.

Apart from this, BJP got another big blow today as Lingayat community leader and former deputy CM Laxman Savadi left BJP today and joined Congress. Savadi, a three-time MLA from Athani seat, had lost the last assembly elections, Mahesh Kumtahalli of the Congress, who defeated him, left the Congress in 2019 and joined the BJP and also won the by-election, due to which Mahesh Kumtahalli was replaced by Laxman Savadi this time too. 

So far 5 BJP leaders have left the party. BJP high command has taken this decision for the purpose of ending anti-incumbency and giving place to new faces. At present, the state leaders of BJP seem to be failing to handle this crisis.

Former Karnataka deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi joined Congress after meeting State Congress president DK Shivakumar and State LoP Siddaramaiah at the latter's residence in Bengaluru on Friday.

Former Karnataka Deputy CM Laxman Savadi meets State Congress president DK Shivakumar and State LoP Siddaramaiah at the latter's residence in Bengaluru Laxman Savadi on April 12 resigned as Legislative Council member & from the primary membership of the BJP after losing the Athani constituency ticket

"BS Yediyurappa never sought tickets for his sons. It is the party's high-command decision to give ticket. He wants family members to grow on their own. Being Yediyurappa's son, I don't have the luxury," said BY Vijayendra, BJP's candidate from the Shikaripura seat.

"I'm blessed to contest from the constituency that my father represented for 40 years. I am happy to contest from Shikaripur. It is a dream come true for me...It's unfair to say that I've been given ticket as I'm BS Yediyurappa's son," said BY Vijayendra, Karnataka BJP leader.

Former MLC and Congress leader Raghu Achar to join JD(S) today n the presence of party chief HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy.

Incumbent BJP ministers Murugesh Nirani, Dr K Sudhakar, S T Somashekar and V Sunil Kumar were among those who filed their nomination papers for Karnataka Assembly polls on Thursday. The poll process for the May 10 Assembly elections formally began today, with the issuance of gazette notification paving the way for candidates to file their nominations. Nirani is contesting from from Bilagi in Bagalkote, Sudhakar from Chikkaballapur, Sunil Kumar from Karkala in Udupi and Somashekar from Yashwanthapur constituency in Bengaluru. Similarly, S S Mallikarjun, who is trying his luck from Davangere North on Congress ticket, too filed the papers. According to the Election Commission, 27 Bharatiya Janata Party candidates, 26 Congress, 12 Janata Dal (S), 10 Aam Aadmi Party and one from the Bahujan Samaj Party filed the papers. 

The CPI(M) and CPI have decided not to contest in any seat in the coastal districts of Karnataka in the coming assembly elections to prevent division in anti-BJP votes. The leaders of the two parties say that secular votes should be consolidated in the region to keep the BJP out of power. In Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts where they have considerable influence, the left parties have decided to stay out of the electoral fray to ensure the defeat of BJP candidates.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai was on a temple visiting spree to atone for his sins during his rule, senior Congress leader and opposition leader in the legislative council B K Hariprasad said on Thursday. Addressing a press meet in Udupi, Hariprasad alleged that the BJP government was steeped in corruption and malpractices during the last four years. “The Chief Minister is now doing penance for all the sins,” he said. The Congress leader charged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who "did not care" to visit Chamarajanagar when 34 people died of for want of oxygen during the Covid pandemic, could find time for a wildlife safari in Bandipur recently in view of the elections.

Bengaluru Central DCP, R Srinivas Gowda said around Rs 1 crore in cash seized from an auto-rickshaw near Bengaluru's city market. SJ Park police reached the spot and seized the cash from two people namely Suresh and Praveen. They did not have any documents related to money. Both are being taken into custody and the money will be handed over to the income tax department.