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Karnataka ex-CM Siddaramaiah will be fielded from seat of his choice: DK Shivakumar

MANDYA: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar said on Tuesday that former chief minister Siddaramaiah will be fielded from a seat of his choice, adding that the first list of Congress candidates for the upcoming assembly elections could be released on Wednesday -- coinciding with Ugadi, the Hindu festival that marks the beginning of a new year.


Shivakumar, along with his family, visited the Adichunchanagiri Mutt in Nagamangala taluk of Mandya district and offered a special puja on Amavasya. He sought the blessings of the seer, Nirmalanandanatha Swami.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said the first list of Congress candidates will have a little over hundred names. Saying that Siddaramaiah has not backed out from contesting the election from the Kolar assembly seat, Shivakumar added that Congress will field him from a constituency of his choice -- be it Kolar, Varuna, Badami or Chamundeshwari. He admitted that the party wants Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh, his brother, to contest the assembly polls, though Suresh himself isn't keen on it.

He said Congress leaders are not forcing any politician to join the party. Many leaders, including former BJP MLA Puttanna, have already joined the party voluntarily.

Some more leaders from other parties may join Congress in the coming days as they are looking for a fresh start, Shivakumar added.

DKS: BJP trying to divert attention away from graft

KPCC chief DK Shivakumar on Tuesday likened BJP national general secretary CT Ravi and BJP minister CN Ashwath Narayan to the fictitious characters of Urigowda and Nanjegowda, respectively, alleging that the BJP leaders were trying to divert the attention of the people away from corruption.

Speaking to reporters at Adichunchanagiri here, the Congress leader claimed that the duo, along with Union minister of state Shobha Karandlaje, tried to rewrite the history of the Vokkaliga community by introducing the two fictitious characters as the 'killers' of Tipu Sultan. He alleged that the story of Urigowda and Nanjegowda was woven to cover up the corruption of the BJP government.

DKS said the Adichunchanagiri mutt seer, Nirmalanandanatha Swami, should take the lead in the fight against the attempt to tarnish the image of the Vokkaliga community. He also criticised BJP minister Muniratna who had earlier planned to produce a movie on Urigowda and Nanjegowda.

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