Bengaluru, Oct 2 (UNI) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has approved the candidature of Raju Poojary for the upcoming bye-election to the Karnataka Legislative Council from the Dakshina Kannada Local Authorities’ Constituency.
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) announced this decision on Wednesday.
The by-election is scheduled for October 21, with the party expressing confidence in Poojary’s chances of securing the seat for the Congress.
October 3 is the last date to file nominations for the by-election, and the counting of votes is scheduled for October 24.
Raju Poojary, a prominent figure in the Dakshina Kannada region, has been actively involved in local politics for several years. His nomination is viewed as part of the Congress’s strategy to strengthen its foothold in coastal Karnataka.
Meanwhile, the BJP on Tuesday announced Kishore Kumar Botyadi (Puttur) as its candidate for the October 21 bypoll. Kishore Kumar, currently serving as the general secretary of the Dakshina Kannada BJP unit, previously held the post of vice-president of the State BJP Yuva Morcha from 2014 to 2016.
Although the names of former BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel and former minister Pramod Madhwaraj were in consideration, the party opted for a fresh face.
The bypoll was necessitated due to the election of BJP’s Kota Srinivas Poojary as the Lok Sabha member from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency.