Karnataka election 2018: HDK to contest from Channapatna and Ramanagara

BENGALURU: Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said he would be contesting from two assembly constituencies —Ramanagara which he now represents — and Channapatna — both in Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency.
Addressing a poll meeting in Channapatna, Kumaraswamy made it official that he’d contest from both seats which are adjoining constituencies.He won the Ramanagara seat by a margin of 40,000 votes in 2013, while the Channapatna seat was won by CP Yogeeshwar who won on a Samajwadi Party ticket, joined the Congress as an associate member, but resigned a couple of months ago and went to the BJP.
Kumaraswamy’s wife Anitha had contested on a JD(S) ticket in 2013, but lost to Yogeeshwara. The other reason for Kumaraswamy to contest from Channapatna is the lack of a suitable candidate from the party.
“I have no objection if he contests from two assembly segments. I had also contested from two assembly segments — Sathanur and Holenarasipura. Anitha is not interested in contesting elections and the party has not been able to find a suitable candidate in Channapatna,” JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda had said recently.
Earlier in Hassan, referring to the poll calendar, the former CM, who is leading the party’s charge in the assembly polls, told reporters: “May 18 is the birthday of Deve Gowda. I’ll gift him a JD(S) government when he turns 85 years old.”
Polling is scheduled to be held on May 12 and counting on May 15.
Kumaraswamy said he’s accused of affecting Gowda’s image by striking an alliance with the BJP. “It’s my responsibility to fix it and I’ll do it this election season,” he said.