Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the second list of candidates for the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls is likely to be announced after the crucial party meet on April 4.
Reiterating that the party high command has to take a call regarding his contesting from the second constituency of Kolar, the former Chief Minister said, it may be decided at the party's Central Election Committee meeting on April 4.
"Day-after-tomorrow there is a Central Election Committee meeting, after the meeting the second list will be released," Siddaramaiah said. Responding to a reporter's question about him contesting from Kolar too, he said, "it has to be decided by the high command, they will decide day-after-tomorrow."
Congress had already announced its first list of 124 candidates on March 25, and is yet to announce the candidates for 100 more segments. The party has fielded Siddaramaiah from his home turf of Varuna in Mysuru district in the first list, following which the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly has expressed his intention to contest from the second seat of Kolar too, subject to approval of the high command.
According to reports, the Karnataka unit of the Congress has finalised single names for 52 Assembly constituencies in the second list, and the Central Election Committee headed by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge is likely to take a final call. Noting that a candidate emerging victorious or losing is in the hands of the voters, the Congress Legislature Party leader, confident of his victory in Varuna said, irrespective of who the opponent candidate is, "I will not go to the constituency for campaigning other than for filing the nomination."
He said his son and the sitting Congress MLA from Varuna Yathindra Siddaramaiah will take care of his campaigning in the constituency, while he will be touring the state campaigning for the party.
There were speculations that state BJP strongman B S Yediyurappa's younger son B Y Vijayendra is likely to take on Siddaramaiah from Varuna, However, the veteran BJP leader had on Friday said that his son will not contest from Varuna, and will contest from Shikaripur, the seat he is vacating due to age, following party's approval.