In a last minute twist, Congress MP DK Suresh has filed his nomination papers from Kanakapura constituency. His brother and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar, who is the incumbent legislator from Kanakapura, had filed his nomination from the same constituency on April 17. The decision to field a second Congress candidate comes after reports of DK Shivakumar’s nomination being rejected due to cases against him. The last date to file nominations to contest in the Karnataka Assembly polls is April 20, 2023.
DK Suresh is the Member of Parliament from Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency where the Kanakapura Assembly segment is located. Shivakumar has been winning from Kanakapura since 1998. On April 17, the Karnataka High Court reserved its verdict in a petition filed by Shivakumar challenging the state government's decision to allow the CBI to investigate the disproportionate assets cases against him. Shivakumar has also challenged the decision of CBI to register an FIR against him in 2020. The court had previously ordered a stay on the CBI probe against him.
The CBI has been looking at Rs 74 crore alleged discrepancy in Shivakumar’s income as well as Rs 150 crore of assets, his 21-year-old daughter had declared. Between 2013 and 2018, when the Congress was in power in the state and Shivakumar had held several ministries, his assets showed an increase of Rs 589 crore.
In the last few years, Shivakumar has been battling cases from several investigation agencies. He has cases registered against him by the CBI under Prevention of Corruption Act, by Enforcement Directorate under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, by the Income Tax Department under their various laws. He is also being investigated by the Karnataka Lokayukta in a disproportionate assets case.
