DK Suresh is the only Congress MP from Karnataka.
Bengaluru:
Taking no chances in the high-stakes contest for the Kanakapura seat in next month’s Karnataka assembly elections, the Congress has groomed its state unit chief DK Shivakumar’s brother as his backup in case of his last-minute disqualification.
DK Suresh, who represents the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, filed his nomination papers on Thursday, days after DK Shivakumar submitted his nomination papers for the May 10 election. The move, which came just hours before the deadline for filing nominations, surprised many.
Amid rumors of contesting from Ramanagara against the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader and former chief minister, Suresh, the lone Congress MP from Karnataka, had earlier said he was not interested in joining state politics. Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of minister HD Kumaraswamy.
The move is being seen as a precautionary measure by the Congress in case it gets affected by the ongoing probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax (IT) department against DK Shivakumar in alleged money laundering and tax evasion cases.
DK Shivakumar, considered one of the most influential and powerful politicians in the state, has been facing multiple raids and summons by central agencies since 2017. He has denied any wrongdoing and accused the BJP-led central government of political vendetta. ,
The Congress leader is seeking re-election from Kanakapura, a bastion of the Vokkaliga community, to which he belongs. He has won seven assembly elections since 1989, with a margin of over 80,000 votes in 2018.
The BJP, which is trying to wrest power from the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance in the state, has fielded former minister R Ashok from Kanakapura. Mr Ashok, who belongs to the prominent Vokkaliga, is considered a close aide of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa.
There was also speculation that as a “retaliation measure” to the BJP’s plan to field a strong candidate against Mr. Shivakumar in Kanakapura, Mr. Suresh could be fielded from the Padmanabhanagar constituency, from where Mr. Ashok is contesting. have been
Polling in Kanakapura on May 10 is expected to be one of the most high-voltage contests. The results of the election will be declared on May 13.