Lok Sabha polls 2024 news: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced that the Congress' list of candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections will be declared within the next two to three days. The final selection will be based on the recommendations of the party's local leaders, Siddaramaiah said.
"In 2-3 days, Congress list may also get released. Tomorrow, the central election committee is meeting. Karnataka candidates will also be finalised and announced in 2-3 days," Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
He assured that there is no major controversy regarding the candidate selection. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D K Shivakumar stated that the final list would be decided after a meeting in the national capital, led by AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge.
The political landscape in Karnataka has changed since the 2019 general elections, with the Congress securing a significant win in the Assembly elections last year. The JD(S), which had joined the BJP-led NDA last year, is currently in discussion with the BJP regarding the seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming polls.
In contrast, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar revealed that the first list of Congress candidates for the Lok Sabha election in Karnataka would be finalised at a meeting of the party's central election committee in New Delhi on March 7.
"We will have our final central election committee meeting on March 7. I and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah are going to Delhi on March 7 where we will finalise the (first) list of candidates," he said.
The BJP's Central Election Committee is also scheduled to meet today to decide on the candidates for the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, according to senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.
Both the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) have had discussions over seat-sharing in Karnataka but no official announcement has been made so far. The JD(S) may contest om 3-4 seats in the state, as per sources. A candidate from the JD(S) may also contest on the BJP symbol, sources added.
(With PTI inputs)