Karnataka EC: Siddaramaiah set to contest from two constituencies

Karnataka Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah would contest from two constituencies, his office has confirmed. He would file his nomination from Chamundeshwari on April 20 and from Badami on April 23. The Congress is however yet to announce the list of its candidates. The decision to contest from two seats was made after taking into consideration various factors.

Firstly Chamundeshwari was seen as an unsafe seat for the CM. A loss would mean that he would not longer be in contention for the CM's chair even if the Congress were to win the elections. Secondly in Badami there is a strong Kuruba population which would help him win with ease. Moreover it falls in the Mumbai-Karnataka region which is a stronghold of the BJP. A campaign by Siddaramaiah in this region could boost the chances of the Congress, analysts feel. From Chamundeshwari, Siddaramaiah has contested 7 elections and won 5. He moved to Varuna following delimitation in 2008. He won the polls in 2008 and 2013 from Varuna. This year, his son is expected to contest the seat. This is however not the first time that he would be contesting from North Karnataka. In the 1991 Lok Sabha elections, he contested from Koppal in north Karnataka on a JD(S) ticket, but was defeated.