Bangalore, April 16: Karnataka's leading politicians, including former chief ministers B.S. Yeddyurappa and H.D. Kumaraswamy, state Congress chief G. Parameshwara and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah, Monday filed their nominations for the May 5 assembly polls.
Besides, a large number of candidates of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its main challenger the Congress and smaller parties -- the Janata Dal-Secular, Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) and BSR Congress -- also filed their papers Monday as it was considered an auspicious day.
Nominations for electing 224 members of the 225-seat assembly that includes one nominated member close April 17. Vote count is on May 8.
Yeddyurappa, who heads KJP, filed his papers in his constituency of Shikaripura in Shimoga district. Prominent among those filing their papers were Kumaraswamy of JD-S in Ramanagara, around 40 km from Bangalore, Parameshwara in Koratagere in Tumkur district and Siddaramaiah in Varuna in Mysore district.
Former BJP minister and jailed mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy loyalist B. Sriramulu, who heads BSR Congress filed, filed his papers for Bellary Rural seat in north Karnataka.
Reddy's brother G. Karunakara Reddy filed his papers as BJP nominee from Harapanahalli in Davangere district.
Others who filed their papers include Law Minister S. Suresh Kumar and his former ministerial colleague Shoba Karandlaje, now in KJP, from Rajajinagar in west Bangalore, and Kumaraswamy's wife Anita Kumaraswamy from Channapatna, neighbouring Ramanagara.
State Election Commissioner Anil Kumar Jha told reporters in Bangalore that 766 candidates filed their nominations Monday, taking the total number of nominations filed since April 10 to 1,022.
The party-wise break up of Monday's nomination is: BJP 163, the Congress 174, JD-S 119, KJP 83, BSR Congress 31, and Bahujan Samaj Party 20. The rest were independents.
Jha said so far police and election authorities have seized over Rs.50 million in cash and gift items meant for distribution among voters from various parts of the state.
