Karnataka Congress MP, DK Suresh files nomination from Kanakapura seat

BENGALURU: Congress leader and DK Suresh on Thursday filed his nomination from the Kanakapura assembly constituency as the backup candidate in case there are issues with the papers filed by his brother and the party’s state unit chief DK Shivakumar, people familiar with the matter said.

DK Shivakumar, 60, is the official candidate from Kanakapura, the constituency that has elected him in the last three state elections in 2008, 2013 and 2018.

DK Suresh, 57, is the only Congress MP from Karnataka in the Lok Sabha. He represents the Bangalore Rural seat. The Kanakapura assembly segment is one of the eight assembly segments of the Bangalore Rural seat.

The ruling BJP has fielded a senior minister and its prominent Vokkaliga face R Ashoka from Kanakapura to take on DK Shivakumar.

To be sure, it is not unusual for political parties to field a backup candidate who withdraws from the race after the main candidate’s papers are formally cleared by the returning officer

DK Suresh’s nomination has been filed as a precautionary measure, said Shivakumar, according to ANI.

There was speculation that the Congress could field DK Suresh from Padmanabhanagar segment, the other assembly seat from where Ashoka is contesting as its payback for fielding Ashoka from Kanakapura.

Earlier, there was buzz that the Congress could field DK Suresh from Ramanagara, against JD(S) leader and former CM H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Suresh had, however, rebutted this possibility, saying he was not interested in coming to state politics.

In his affidavit, DK Shivakumar has 19 criminal cases against him including 10 that relate to holding protests against the government. There are four other tax evasion cases and two under the money laundering law. A bribery case is also pending against him. Two other cases were filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Lokayukta in connection with alleged disproportionate assets.