Assembly polls: HD Deve Gowda yet to clear Kumaraswamy's first list of candidates

Bengaluru: Even a month after receiving the first list of candidates for the coming assembly poll from state party chief H D Kumaraswamy, JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda is still holding on to it reportedly to make sure there are no hiccups.

Going by sources, the list mentions candidates for the old Mysuru region and sitting MLAs, but some of the key constituencies in Bengaluru may take a while to be finalised. In Mysuru, Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Deve Gowda is miffed as he was not consulted by K R Nagar MLA , Sa Ra Mahesh on matters regarding his constituency and because the party has promised the Hunsur ticket that he was eyeing for his son to Congress stalwart, A H Vishwanath, who is expected to join the party in the second week of June.

It is said that Mr Gowda will soon convene a meeting between Mr Vishwanath and Mr G.T. Deve Gowda to iron out their differences.

Despite reports that the Congress leader may not join the JD(S), the party is expecting him to resign from his party in June, say sources.

Also, while candidates for most of the constituencies in Hassan, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Chamarajnagar, Kolar and Chikkaballapura districts have been finalised, there are reportedly more than one aspirant in some constituencies.

In Hassan district Mr Gowda is all for fielding Mr A T Ramaswamy from Arakalgud, but his son, H D Revanna is reportedly keen on a fresh face considering that he has lost elections twice in a row.

The party has, however, finalised the candidates for Nagamangala and Srirangapattana constituencies in Mandya district, where its sitting MLAs, N Cheluvarayaswamy and Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda are set to join the Congress. While former MLA, Suresh Gowda will be fielded from Nagamangala, Mr Ravindra Srikantaiah, who quit the Congress to join the JDS, will be fielded from Srirangapattana.