Karnataka Election 2023: As Congress Announces Its 2nd List Of Candidates, Here Are The Leaders Who Shoulder Its Fate

Which leaders hold the key to Congress's win in the Karnataka Assembly polls? Which leaders will make or break it for Congress? Read on to find out.

With the Karnataka election 2023 date drawing near, the political arena of the state is heating up — not just among parties, but within them as well. While the biggies — Congress, BJP, and JD(U) — are eyeing the seats of the treasury benches in the Karnataka assembly, the political heavyweights of the parties are vying with their party colleagues to be the CM faces of their respective organisations.

The Congress released a list of 124 candidates on March 25. The list of candidates covered constituencies across the state. The second list with names of 42 candidates was released on Thursday after the Congress high command’s approval. For the remaining 58 constituencies, two candidates have been selected for each seat. The list will be finalised by senior party leaders.

Here are the candidates who will play an important role in the Congress’s electoral performance next month:

SIDDARAMAIAH

The former CM has emerged as the strongest contender for the top post in the ABP News-CVoter Opinion poll. He will fight from his traditional seat — Varuna. This will be his last foray into electoral politics. Known to be an alliance weaver, who shares good relations with most of his political opponents, Siddaramaiah was the chairman of the Congress-JD(S) alliance’s coordination committee in 2018. Siddaramaiah is a powerful leader, who has often been seen as someone, who would override party machinery to get his way.

The eight-time MLA belongs to the Kuruba community, which accounts for around 7% of the state’s population, according to unofficial accounts. He also enjoys the support of the Lingayat community, which accounts for around 14% of the voter base.

DK SHIVAKUMAR

The Karnataka Congress president will contest the Kanakpura seat, one of the eight that make up the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency, which his brother DK Suresh represents. Shivakumar will be important for the Congress as he enjoys a large Vokkaliga voterbase. The seven-time MLA has been instrumental in orchestrating Congress’s win in the past and also played a big role in garnering support for Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Since Shivakumar’s entry into electoral politics in 1985, he has seen several ups and downs.

Shivakumar began his career by going up against former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda in the Sathanur constituency. Though he lost, he built up on the image of a strong Vokkaliga leader who challenged Deve Gowda in his bastion. He eventually won the seat in 1989 (Deve Gowda vacated the seat) and went on to beat the former PM’s son HD Kumaraswamy in 1999 from Sathanur. A prominent businessman, Shivakumar was instrumental in securing the Congress-JD(U) alliance after the 2018 polls to keep the BJP away, albeit briefly, from the treasury bench. Shivakumar is one of the top options for the CM post for the Congress.

DARSHAN DHRUVANARAYANA

Debutant Darshan Dhruvanarayana is the son of former Lok Sabha MP and Karnataka Congress working president Rangaswamy Dhruvanarayana. He has been fielded from the Nanjangud seat to carry on his father’s legacy. Rangaswamy Dhruvanarayana passed away in March this year. According to Darshan, his entry into politics is sudden as his father did not want him in the field. His candidature has been strongly backed by Siddaramaiah. It will be interesting to see if he is able retain his father’s supporters to script a win.

PRIYANK KHARGE

Fighting for the Chittapur seat, Priyank Kharge is Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s son. The 2023 electoral fight will be a prestige battle for him as this will be his first election after his father’s rise as the Congress chief. He had barely managed to retain the seat last election, which he won by a thin margin of just 4,000 votes.

He is a shrewd politician who managed to corner the BJP’s Basvaraj Bommai government in 2022 over the police recruitment scam. He also holds the record of being the youngest Karnataka minister.

G PARAMESHWARA

Former deputy CM and the longest-serving Congress president G Parameshwara will contest the Kotagere (Scheduled Caste) seat. Once a strong contender for the CM post, Parameshwara had to bow to Siddaramaiah after losing his Koratagere seat in 2013.

He won the seat in the last election and has again thrown in his hat for the CM’s hotseat. The 71-year-old Dalit leader will be crucial for Congress in this election.

BABURAO CHINCHANSUR

BJP turncoat Baburao Chinchansur has secured a ticket this year from the Congress. Chinchasur is a strongman from the Kalaburagi district, from where Congress president Mallikarjun hails. Chinchasur quit the BJP on March 21 this year and joined Congress the next day. A five-time MLA, Chinchansur has been fielded from the Gurumithkal seat. He has previously won the Chittapur constituency thrice and the Gurmitkal seat twice. He has assured the party high command that he would ensure a Congress victory in 20-25 other constituencies as well.

Hailing from the Koli Kabbaliga community, he will be crucial for the SC/ST voterbase. According to media reports, Chinchansur's induction to Congress was personally looked into by Mallikarjun Kharge to help Priyank's prospects in Chittapur. While the BJP is looking to break through in the region that is considered Kharge's bastion, it will be up to Chinchansur to secure a victory for the Congress.