122 file papers on penultimate day

As many as 122 candidates, including JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda filed their nominations for the Lok Sabha elections in the State, on Tuesday. March 26 is the last day for filing nominations.

Former prime minister and JD(S) National President H D Deve Gowda filed nomination papers for Hassan constituency. Gowda and his family members peformed pooja at various temples in Holenarasipur and Haradanahalli before filing the papers.

Deve Gowda’s wife Channamma, son H D Revanna and grandson Prajwal Revanna accompanied him to the office of the district election officer.

B Shivalingaiah, former chairperson of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and vice-president of Karnataka State Vokkaligara Sangha filed nomination papers as BJP candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency.

Meanwhile, A H Vishwanath, the sitting MP from Mysore submitted two more sets of papers as a Congress nominee. He had submitted two sets of nomination papers on March 22 also.

K Chandrashekar of Democratic Prajakranti Party (Secularist) Thimmegowda of Sarva Janatha Party, Srinivas and Bhojanna N Somaiah (both Independents) also filed their nomination papers in Mysore. P C Gaddigoudar filed papers as BJP candidate in Bagalkot  while B V Nayak is contesting on Congress ticket in Raichur.

Addressing reporters, Ponnu Raj, Officer on Special Duty, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (OCEO), Karnataka, said a total of 152 nomination papers were filed by 122 candidates on Tuesday.

So far, 318 candidates have filed their nomination papers in the 28 parliamentary constituencies of the State. Abdul Azim from Bangalore North, Bandeppa Kashempur from Bidar, Mahima Patel from Davangere (all JD-S) are other prominent candidates who filed nomination papers on Tuesday.

Ponnu Raj said special squad on election duty have seized about Rs 40 lakh in cash in various parts of the State in the last 24 hours. 

In Chikkaballapur, about 100 bottles of liquor and sarees worth about Rs 2.9 lakh were seized by the election authorities, he added. 

The OCEO, he said, will seek a report from the returning officer of Dharwad parlimentary constituency on reports that BJP candidate Pralhad Joshi distributed gifts to the mediapersons.