Only one ticket per person, says DKS

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru:

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar on Friday raised many an eyebrow when he declared that candidates would get only one ticket, regardless of their stature, in the upcoming assembly elections in May 2023. “In these elections, one person will get only one ticket, no matter who it may be,” Shivakumar said.

The statement is of significance because it was speculated that fellow chief ministerial candidate and Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Assembly, Siddaramaiah might contest from two seats after doing so in the last Assembly polls in 2018.

The former chief minister had contested from Chamundeshwari and Badami. He had beaten by GT Devegowda in the former constituency and won by less than 2,000 votes in the latter. This time around, Siddaramaiah is looking to contest from a relatively safe constituency. His options include Badami, where the incumbent is, Kolar city, and Varuna, his former constituency, which he vacated for his son Yahthindra.

The LOP has hinted at shifting to another constituency and has gone on record to say that he found Badami to be too far away. Earlier in the month, when he was in Kolar, he said that he’d come back to the city to file nomination papers, but party sources believe this is a red herring meant to keep the BJP and JD(S) guessing. Many believe he’ll contest Varuna again.