Karnataka poll: Congress, BJP first list out

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177 done, cong keeps stalwarts guessing
Bengaluru: After weeks of arguments, counter arguments and protests, the Congress annou­n­ced its candidates for 177 of the 224 Ass­e­mbly constituencies on Friday, putting off a decision on the remaining 47 seats as there are either too many aspirants or kin of Union ministers and other senior leaders in the race for them.
While the party has shut its doors on those who migrated to BJP under ‘Operation Kamala,’ two of the four independents have made it to the first list with the remaining two yet to be decided upon by its leaders. Eig­ht women, including state Mahila Congress president Manjula Naidu (Rajajinagar), figure in the list announced by the party. Lax­mi Hebbalkar (Belgaum Rural), Meenakshi Bai (Bidar South) and Sharada Mohan She­tty (Kumta) are the new faces among women.
“We have released our first list. Our endeavour was to give a chance to new faces without ignoring the party's experienced cadre. I am happy to announce that the list is fair, unbiased and based on merit,” KPCC chief Dr G. Parameshwar said. 
Sources in the party said candidates of constituencies which witnessed protests too have been added to list which will be vetted by party president Sonia Gandhi after her return from the United States next week.
Prominent among those who have made it to the list including leader of Congress legislature party Siddaramaiah (Varuna), Dr Parameshwar (Koratagere), former KPCC president R.V. Deshpande (Haliyal), former working president D.K. Shivak­umar (Kanakapura), and sons of two former CMs?Dinesh Gundu Rao (Gandhi­nagar) and Kumar Bangarappa (Sorab). 
BJP: Corrupt on ice, but porn men in
The ruling BJP which has an uphill task retaining the 110 seats it won in the 2008 assembly polls, played it safe retaining all sitting MLAs in its list of 140 candidates announced in New Delhi on Friday barring the three tainted MLAs who had gone to jail in connection with scam cases.
The big question on whom the party would put up against its mentor turned rival B.S. Yeddyurappa in Shikaripur seat in Shimoga remained unanswered.  Hoping that voters had put the infamous Porngate sca­ndal inv­o­lving three BJP ministers beh­ind them, the party has allotted tickets to all three-Lax­man Savadi, C.C. Patil and Krishna Palemar.
For Bengaluru, the IT hub, where the party won 18 of the 28 assembly seats, only 14 candidates have been finalised with most of them sitting MLAs.
Sources said the BJP was in a dilemma when it came to selecting candidates for the seats held by MLAs who had joined the KJP. For the nine seats in Bellary district, the party has announced only three names and is reportedly waiting for BSR Congress – a breakway BJP faction – to announce names, before choosing the remaining candidates.
Chief Minister Jagadish Shetter will contest from Hubli- Dharwad Central while Deputy Chief Ministers K.S. Eshwarappa and R. Ashok will be in the fray from Shimoga and Padmanabanagar. Water resources minister Basavaraj Bommai who was speculated to join the KJP of Mr Yeddyurappa, will contest from Shiggaon on a BJP ticket while Speaker of the Assembly K.G. Bopaiah will try his luck from Virajpet in Kodagu district again. Lingayat leaders have been allotted the major share of seats.