Scheduled for June 30, the upcoming bypolls for three legislative council seats in Karnataka have prompted the Congress party to reveal its chosen candidates. Among the announced contenders is former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who has been nominated as one of the three candidates for the bypolls.
In the MLC bypolls, the Congress party has put forth a strong lineup of candidates, including Jagadish Shettar, Tippannappa Kamaknoor, and NS Boseraju. On the other hand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), currently in opposition in the southern state, is yet to disclose their candidates for the upcoming bypolls.
Prior to the Karnataka assembly elections, Laxman Savadi, Baburao Chinchansur, and R Shankar resigned from their MLC posts after being denied tickets by the BJP. Former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar was also among the BJP leaders who left the party when denied a ticket. He later joined the Congress party, which accommodated him with a ticket from his Hubballi – Dharwad Central constituency. However, despite being a six-time MLA, Shettar only secured a vote share of 36.31 percent and was defeated by the BJP's Mahesh Tenginakai in the assembly elections. Now, the Congress party has not only offered him a prominent position but also named him as one of the MLC candidates.
During the Karnataka assembly elections held in May, the Congress emerged victorious by securing 135 seats out of the total 224 constituencies. In contrast, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 66 seats. The Janata Dal (Secular) performed less successfully, managing to secure only 19 seats.
