Karnataka Election 2023: With 1st Lists Of BJP, Congress, And JD(S) Out, Take a Look At The Key Contests

With the BJP releasing its first list of 189 candidates for the Karnataka election 2023 on Tuesday, the poll arena has heated up. Here are the high-profile contests that are sure to draw attention.

The first list of candidates for the upcoming Karnataka assembly election has been released by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), featuring 189 names, including 52 new faces. The saffron party is making all efforts to maintain its power in the only southern stronghold. The high-octane electoral contest is scheduled to take place on May 10, and the announcement of the candidates' list has set the stage for exciting contests in some key constituencies.

One such constituency is Kanakpura, which is considered to be the stronghold of Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar. He has represented this seat since 2008 and will be facing state Revenue Minister R Ashoka.

Varuna is another interesting constituency, with former chief minister Siddaramaiah representing the Congress. The BJP has fielded Housing and Infrastructure Development V Somanna V Sommana against Siddaramaiah, who has announced that this election will be his last.

Former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy is contesting from the Channapatna seat, which is 60 kilometres from the state capital. He won this seat in 2018. The BJP has fielded former Tourism Minister CP Yogeswara against the former CM.

The candidate for the Hubli-Dharwad (Central) constituency has not been announced yet. Former Karnataka CM and sitting MLA Jagadish Shettar represents the constituency. The BJP said that Shettar won't be given a ticket this year. Shettar is, however, determined to fight the election, and had asked the central leadership to reconsider its decision just hours before the list was announced. Later, at the press conference held to announce the names of the candidates, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the BJP high command would convince him to drop his plan to contest the polls and stay on as a party leader. 

There are 52 fresh candidates in BJP's first list for the Karnataka election. As many as 32 OBC candidates, 30 SC candidates, and 16 ST candidates, were given tickets. "There are doctors, IPS and IAS officers, 31 PG candidates, and eight women. There are five advocates, nine doctors, three academicians, two retired IAS and IPS officers, three retired government employees, and eight social workers in this list," said BJP's national general secretary Arun Singh.

The Karnataka assembly election will take place on May 10, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 13.