Suspense ends: Congress banks on Siddaramaiah in Varuna constituency

MYSURU: After much dilly-dallying, former chief minister Siddaramaiah will be contesting the state assembly polls from Varuna constituency, which is currently represented by his son Yathindra. His name figured in the first list of candidates released by the Congress on Saturday.
Siddaramaiah had contested and won from the segment twice before vacating the seat for his son Yathindra. Siddaramaiah's return to Varuna is expected to boost party prospects in the Mysuru region. Meanwhile, BJP leaders said Siddaramaiah's homecoming will not serve any purpose, and it reflects his fear of defeat.
Former KPCC working president R Dhruvanarayana's son Darshan Dhruvanarayana has been fielded from Nanjangud. This is the first time he is contesting the polls. Former minister HC Mahadevappa and former KPCC working president R Dhruvanarayana were in the race for the Nanjangud seat (reserved for SC). Following the sudden demise of Dhruvanarayana, Mahadevappa himself announced that Darshan Dhruvanarayana will be the party's candidate.
Mahadevappa's son was aspiring for a Congress ticket to contest from T Narasipura seat which is reserved for SC, but the party decided to field Mahadevappa who lost to JD(S) leader Aswin Kumar in 2018. In Mysuru district, the party cleared eight names but is yet to announce candidates for Krishnaraja, Chamaraja, and Chamundeshwari constituencies.
In Chamarajanagar district, the party is yet to announce the candidate for Kollegal (SC) constituency. It has cleared the names of sitting MLAs R Narendra from Hanur, C Puttaranga Shetty from Chamarajanagar and has given a chance to HM Ganesh Prasad, son of former minister HS Mahadeva Prasad and Geetha Mahadeva Prasad, from Gundlupet.
"Siddaramaiah's candidature (Varuna) will help the party in 15 constituencies in two districts. Similarly, he will also contest from Kolar which will help the party win another 15 constituencies in Kolar, Chikkaballapura, and Bengaluru rural areas," said M Lakshman, KPCC spokesperson.
BJP's Karnataka unit vice president Nirmal Kumar Surana said: "There is no guarantee till Siddaramaiah submits his nomination papers. He is scared to contest from another constituency. God only knows why he voluntarily announced that he will contest from Kolar."