JD(S) names candidates for U-K, Bijapur

Ending speculation, the JD(S), on Tuesday, announced candidates to the two remaining Lok Sabha seats, of the seven it is contesting.

JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has cleared the names of Sunitha Devanand Chavan and Anand Asnotikar for Bijapur and Uttara Kannada constituencies, respectively.

While Sunitha is the wife of JD(S) MLA Devanand Chavan (Nagthan); Asnotikar, a former BJP minister, had unsuccessfully contested the 2018 Assembly elections from Karwar.

Sunitha will take on union minister Ramesh Jigajinagi in Bijapur, and Asnotikar will be contesting against BJP’s firebrand leader Ananth Kumar Hegde in Uttar Kannada.

As per the seat-sharing pact between the Congress and the JD(S), the regional party had been allotted eight seats. In the last minute decision, the party had however returned the Bangalore North seat to the Congress, as it was unable to zero in on a candidate there.

The party has attracted much flak for indulging in dynasty politics. While Gowda himself is contesting from Tumkur, his grandsons, Prajwal Revanna and Nikhil Kumaraswamy are contesting from Hassan and Mandya Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively.

The party has fielded former MLA Madhu Bangarappa in Shimoga and Congress leader Pramod Madhwaraj in Udupi-Chikmagalur. Madhwaraj is contesting the elections on a JD(S) ticket.