BENGALURU: Setting the tone of campaigning for the next fortnight, leaders of all three parties, including Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, took part in roadshows and launched their party candidates into the fray. The last day of nomination was marked by rallies and processions in all 15 assembly segments that will go to the polls on December 5.
The biggest of the contestants who filed their nominations on Monday include former ‘chief rebel’ who is credited with pulling the previous government down — Ramesh Jarkiholi from Gokak. Former JDS party chief and BJP candidate Adagur H Vishwanath was accompanied by Mysore MP Prathap Simha. Former minister M T B Nagaraj from Hoskote was accompanied by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa himself. In Shivajinagar, Congress’ Rizwan Arshad was accompanied by KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao and MLA N A Harris. In Vijaynagar, DyCM Govind Karajol and Minister B Sriramulu went along with Anand Singh.
In Kagwad, Srimanth Patil and Raju Kage filed their nominations. Srimanth Patil was accompanied by BJP leaders Jagadish Shettar and C C Patil.
K Gopalaiah from Mahalakshmi Layout was accompanied by Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda and ministers V Somanna and Suresh Kumar. S T Somashekar filed his nomination from Yeshwantpur accompanied by Shobha Karandlaje who had represented this constituency earlier.
Byrati Basavaraj, the man who dashed to the speaker’s office in a memorable run, filed his nomination from KR Puram accompanied by Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda and his ‘rebel’ teammate Munirathna Naidu. Interestingly, opposition leader Siddaramaiah was in KR Puram along with party candidate MLC M Narayanswamy who is pitted against his former confidante Basavaraj.
Mahesh Kumatahalli from Athani in Belagavi where the man who lost to him and is now DyCM Laxman Savadi was ironically present alongside Narayana Gowda from K R Pet and B C Patil from Hirekerur.
JDS leader and former CM H D Kumaraswamy accompanied his party candidates in Chickballapur. He also took a chopper to Gokak where he accompanied Ashok Pujari.
In Hirekerur, BJP candidate and former police inspector B C Patil filed his nomination accompanied by home minister Basavraj Bommai.