Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Congress fields ex-BJP leader Jagadish Shettar from Hubli-Dharwad-Central seat

With just two days left for filing of nominations to end for May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka, the Congress on Tuesday announced its fourth list of seven candidates, confirming the ticket to former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who joined the party after quitting BJP. Shettar has been given the ticket from Hubli-Dharwad-Central Assembly segment which he currently represents.

A senior Lingayat leader from north Karnataka region, who had also served as state BJP president, Leader of Opposition, Speaker and Minister in the past, the six-time MLA had joined Congress on Monday, after quitting the BJP over being denied the ticket to contest the Assembly polls.

Congress has fielded H D Thammaiah, who recently quit BJP and joined the party, from Chikkamagaluru, where the ruling party's national general secretary C T Ravi is in the fray. From Shiggaon, where Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is the BJP candidate, Congress has fielded Mohammed Yousuf Savanur.

Sitting MLA Durgappa S Hoolageri has been fielded from Lingsugur, while in Harihar sitting MLA S Ramappa has been denied the ticket and it has been given to Nandagavi Srinivas. Other candidates named in the fourth list are Deepak Chinchore (Hubli-Dharwad-West) and M A Gopalaswamy (Shravanabelagola).

With the addition of seven names and the first three list of 124, 42 and 43 candidates respectively (including in Melukote where it's backing a candidate of a different party), the Congress has so far announced candidates for 216 out of total 224 seats.