Karnataka poll watch: Cong fights fire as 1st list sees infighting, BJP releases 2nd list

Assembly polls in Karnataka is weeks away, and the current Siddaramaiah-led Congress government in the state will finish its full term of five years on May 28 – a feat no party has managed since 1985. But will the Congress manage to fight anti-incumbency in the one of the few states it governs in India following the Modi wave? Will the Yeddyurappa-led BJP pull off a win in the state under Amit Shah’s watchful eye? And will HD Kumaraswamy’s JD(S) get to a position where they can play kingmaker in Karnataka once again?

In the run up to the biggest election of 2018, TNM brings you Poll Watch every Monday and Thursday. It will be your one stop shop for all the updates on the campaigns, manifestos, and politicking ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.

• The ruling Congress which has named 218 out of 224 candidates late on Sunday evening has been forced to enter damage-control mode with several high-profile leaders voicing their unhappiness. CM Siddaramaiah is set to contest from Chamundeshwari putting an end to the two-seat theory.
• Meanwhile, sitting Shanti Nagar MLA NA Haris have been forced to wait after the seat was left for the second list. As reported earlier, multiple internal surveys by the party favour Haris to win this time too. Both CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC Chief G Parameshwara have tipped him to get the ticket.
• Supreme Court advocate and CM Siddaramaiah’s legal adviser Brijesh Kalappa vented his frustration over missing out on the Madikeri seat to fellow lawyer and a newcomer to the party HS Chandramouli.
• The BJP, meanwhile, has released its second list of candidates for 82 seats. The first list which was made public on April 8 had names of chief ministerial face BS Yeddyurappa, follower-turned-rival Eshwarappa among other top leaders. Monday’s list highlight is the naming of mining scam tainted Janardhan Reddy’s elder brother Somasekhar who will contest from Ballari City. There were other BS Yeddyurappa loyalists too in the list
• To contain dissidence within the party ranks like that in Chitradurga , the state leadership had announced those missing out on seats will be given important positions within the party.
• In other news, AIMIM president  Asaduddin Owaisi announced that the party won’t take part in the poll process directly, and instead will support JD(S) in its endeavour of forming a government without the support of BJP and Congress
• JD(S) earlier had got the support of TRS, the ruling party of Telangana with CM K Chandrasekhar Rao advocating the need for a non-Congress/ BJP Third Front made up of regional parties. The party is also a huge player to form pre-poll alliance as of now.
• An RTI reply has revealed that the ruling Congress has spent a staggering Rs 56 crore of public money between December 1 to March 30. Other than ads on government  schemes, the money was spent by the Department of Information and Public Relations Department on various mediums to publicise the CM and other ministers like KJ George and MB Patil.
• While the BJP has attacked this publicity blitzkrieg saying it was a waste of public money, the Congress has defended it as saying that this was all budgeted and would have been wrong if it had exceeded the count.
• A controversy had also broken out over Congress Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao’s statements on UP CM Adityanath over his alleged inaction over Unnao rape case. BJP Pratap Simha had warned him of a befitting reply. Later, Rao retracted his statement.