The BJP had released the first list of 72 candidates on April 8 that included names of its chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa, and senior leaders K S Eshwarappa and Jagadish Shettar.
The Congress had on Sunday released its list of 218 candidates.
The single-phase Karnataka Assembly elections will be held on May 12 and the results will be declared on May 15.
The BJP is making an all-out effort to unseat the Congress from the only big state where the grand old party is in power. The Congress is looking to retain power in this crucial southern state under the leadership of chief minister Siddaramaiah.
Besides, the Congress and the BJP, the JD(S) led by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda is the third player in the fray.
The stakes are high for both the parties. Karnataka elections are not just about Karnataka. While the gameplan of the Congress is to win the Assembly polls and use the victory as a springboard for the revival of the party nationally, the BJP wants to extend its victory march and show yet again that it is unstoppable.