R V Deshpande
* District: Uttara Kannada (Haliyal)
* Age: 66 years
* Family: Married, 2 sons
* Education: BA (Honours)
* Caste: Brahmin
Political experience: A seven-term MLA, Deshpande started his political career in the Janata Parivar before shifting to the Congress in 1999. He served as industries minister for 10 years between 1994-2004 (one term in the then undivided Janata Dal government and another term in S M Krishna-led Congress government). An industrialist himself, Deshpande is considered close to the party central leadership, especially Rahul Gandhi.
T B Jayachandra
* District: Tumkur (Sira)
* Age: 64 years
* Family: Married, 3 sons
* Education: BSc LLB
* Caste: Vokkaliga
Political experience: He was the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the 13th Assembly. Entering the Assembly for the sixth time, Jayachandra was minister for agriculture minister and food and civil supplies earlier. He was the special representative of the State in New Delhi and president of the Karntaka Film Development Corporation.
Prakash Babanna Hukkeri
* District: Belgaum (Chikkodi-Sadalga)
* Age: 66 years
* Family: Married, 1 son, 4 daughters
* Education: SSLC
* Caste: Lingayat
Political experience: Hukkeri is a KPCC executive committee member and senior Congress leader. His victory by 76,588 votes is the biggest margin recorded in the recent Assembly elections. A grassroot level worker, Hukkeri won the Chikkodi-Sadalga seat for the second time. He was an MLC from 1988 to 1994 and also served as Congress Chief Whip. He was Agriculture Marketing minister. He also runs educational institutions and owns a sugar factory.
Qamar-ul-Islam
* District: Gulbarga (Gulbarga North)
* Age: 65 years
* Family: Married, 1 son
* Education: BE (Mechanical)
* Caste: Muslim
Political experience: He is MLA for the sixth time. He was a member of Parliament during1996-98. He served as Housing minister in the S M Krishna government. Between 2002-04, he was labour and small scale industries minister. He was chairman of Karnataka Minorities Commission for an year from 1998.
Ramalinga Reddy
* District: Bangalore Urban (BTM Layout)
* Age: 60 years
* Family: Married,1 son, 1 daughter
* Education: BSc
* Caste: Vokkaliga
Political experience: Ramalinga Reddy has been getting elected to the Assembly continously since 1989. So far, he has been elected four times from Jayanagar and two times from BTM Layout after the delimitation in 2008. He was minister of State for Finance and Medium Industries in the M Veerappa Moily government and Food and Civil Supplies Minister in the S M Krishna government. He was the Primary and Secondary Education Minister in the Congress-JD(S) government of 2004. Reddy started his political career as a corporator of the then Bangalore City Corporation (1983-88).
H K Patil
* District: Gadag (Gadag)
* Age: 60 years
* Family: Married,1 son, 2 daughters
* Education: BSc, LLB
* Caste: Reddy-Lingayat
Political experience: A seasoned politician, H K Patil, the son of Congress veteran the late K H Patil, has carved a niche for himself in the state politics. This would be Patil’s maiden entry to the Assembly after having served four terms (24 years) in the Legislative Council. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Council between 1994 and 1999. Patil has handled major responsibilities in the government and has served as the Major and Medium Industries Minister in the S M Krishna government and Law Minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government in 2004.
Shamanur Shivashankarappa
* District: Davangere (Davangere North)
* Age: 81 years
* Family: Married,3 sons, 4 daughters
* Education: Intermediate
* Caste: Lingayat
Political experience: A senior Congress leader, Shivashankarappa has been with the KPCC for several decades. He is also the Honorary Treasurer for the KPCC. Having been promised a seat from Davangere South in the recent elections, Shivashankarappa was vociferous and instrumental in wresting the Davangere South seat for his second son, S S Mallikarjun. He was previously elected as MLA twice, before becoming an MP for one year between 1998 and 1999.
V Srinivas Prasad
* District: Mysore (Nanjangud)
* Age: 64 years
* Family: Married, 3 daughters
* Education: MA
* Caste: Scheduled Caste
Political experience: Srinivas Prasad was Member of Parilament for five terms from Chamarajanagar (SC) constituency and also served as the Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs in the A B Vajpayee government. He is MLA for the second time. He has been a advocate of the rights of the Dalits.
Dr H C Mahadevappa
* District: Mysore (T Narasipura)
* Age: 60 years
* Family: Married, 2 Sons 1 daughter
* Education: MBBS
* Caste: Scheduled Caste
Political experience: He is MLA for the fifth time. He had served as minister twice – in the J H Patel government as the Health and Family Welfare minister and in the N Dharam Singh government as Rural Development and Panchayat Raj minister.
B Ramanatha Rai
* District: Dakshina Kannada (Bantwal)
* Age: 61 years
* Family: Married, 1 Son 1 daughter
* Education: BA
* Caste: Bunt
Political experience: Rai, a six-term MLA, belongs to the powerful Bunt community of the coast region. With his loyalty to the Congress, winning has become a habit with him. He was minister of state for home (1992), excise minister (1994), port, fisheries and Malnad development minister in (1999), transport minister (2002). He began his political career in 1982 as president of Bantwal Taluk Agriculture and Rural Development Bank.
H S Mahadev Prasad
* District: Chamrajanagar (Gundlupet)
* Age: 55 years
* Family: Wife, 1 Son
* Education: MA
* Caste: Lingayat
Political experience: Having never tasted defeat since 1994, Mahadev Prasad is a five-time MLA from Gundlupet. Prasad has contested on four different symbols in the past and won all the polls. In his first attempt, Prasad won on the Janata Dal ticket and post split, again under the Janata Dal (United) banner. He then joined the JD (S), winning yet again from Gundlupet. The victory assured Prasad a ministerial post, food and civil supplies, in the coalition government headed by N Dharam Singh. He was Kannada and Culture minister in the JD(S)-BJP government. In 2008, he joined the Congress and won against his closest BJP rival by 2,000-odd votes. He is also the president of the Chamrajanagar District Congress Committee.
Baburao Chinchansur
* District: Yadgir (Gurumitkal)
* Age: 62 years
* Family: Married
* Education: BA
* Caste: OBC (Kolisamai)
Political experience: A fifth-time MLA, Chinchansur had won the first three elections from Chittapur constituency in Gulbarga district. Since 2008, he was won twice from Gurumitkal. He was Lotteries and Small Savings minister in the S M Krishna government. At one time, he was not getting along with senior leader Mallikarjun Kharge. But, later he managed to get into the good books of Kharge and campaigned for Priyank Kharge in Chittapur.
The Lokayukta police had raided his house and offices in January this year following a complaint that he has amassed wealth. The High Court quashed the investigation by the Lokayukta on technical grounds.
K J George
* District: Bangalore Urban (Sarvagnanagar)
* Age: 67 years
* Family: Married, 1 Son, 1 Daughter
* Education: BA
* Community: Christian
Political experience: A five-term MLA, George has been a Congress loyalist throughout. Geogre first entered the Assembly in 1985 and was re-elected in 1989. He was Minister of State (Independent charge) for Food and Civil Supplies in the S Bangarappa government and later Urban Development Minister (1990-92). After a break of 10 years, George entered the Assembly in 2004.
Vinay Kumar sorake
* District: Udupi (Kaup)
* Age: 68 years
* Family: Married, 1 Daughter 1 Son
* Education: BSW, LLB
* Caste: OBC (Billava)
Political experience: He was MLA for two terms from 1985 to 1994 from Puttur in Dakshina Kannada. He was Member of Parliament (1999-2004) from Udupi Lok Sabha constituency. He served as General Secretary, Karnataka State Congress (1991-2000). Currently, he is an AICC secretary and is in-charge of Seva Dal in South India.
M H Ambareesh
*District: Mandya (Mandya city)
* Age: 61 years
* Family: Married, 1 Son
* Education: PUC
* Caste: Vokkaliga
Political experience: A noted cine actor, M H Amarnath, popularly known as Ambareesh, is a senior Congress leader. He is a former three time MP from Mandya, twice from the Congress and once from the Janata Dal. He was also union minister of state for Information and Broadcasting during the UPA-I regime. He resigned his ministerial post claiming that grave injustice was done to Karnataka by the Cauvery River Dispute Tribunal. Ambareesh was defeated in 2009 general elections.
Satish Jharkiholi
* District: Belgaum (Yamakanamaradi)
* Age: 50 years
* Family: Married, 1 Son, 1 Daughter
* Education: PUC
* Caste: Scheduled Tribe (Valmiki)
Political experience: From a political powerhouse, with three of the five brothers being elected yet again to the Assembly, including Balchandra and Ramesh, Satish Jharkiholi is the General Secretary for KPCC.
He has been re-elected for the second term and was previously an MLC from JD(S) for two terms. Jarkiholi was textiles minister in the coalition government between 2004 and 2006.
Mallanagouda Basanagouda Patil
* District: Bijapur (Babaleshwar)
* Age: 49 years
* Family: Married, 2 Sons,
* Education: BE (Civil)
* Caste: Lingayat
Political experience: M B Patil is a four-time MLA having first entered the Legislative Assembly in 1989 at the age of 25 from the erstwhile Tikota constituency. He was re-elected in 2004, 2008 and in 2013. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bijapur constitutency in 1998. He is chairman of BLD Educational Trust which runs a chain of educational institutions including a deemed medical university in Bijapur.
Shivaraj Tangadagi
* District: Koppal (Kanakagiri)
* Age: 42 years
* Family: Married, 2 Sons, 1 Daughter
* Education: BSc
* Caste: Scheduled Caste (Bhovi)
Political experience: He began his political career with the BJP. When he was denied the ticket by the party in 2008, he contested as a rebel and won from Kanakagiri. Later, he supported the BJP government and was made Agriculture Marketing and Sugar minister. He migrated to the Congress ahead of the recent Assembly polls. Although he has no god fathers in the Congress he has still he managed to become a minister.
Khader U T
* District: Dakshina Kannada (Mangalore)
* Age: 44 years
* Family: Married, 1 Daughter
* Education: BA, LLB
* Caste: Muslim
Political experience: A youth face of the Congress, Khader is a regular to the Legislative Assembly sessions. Son of the late U T Fareed, a four-time MLA from Ullal, Khader first won the by-election to the Assembly from Ullal after his father’s death in 2007. He has been elected twice from Mangalore. He is a former member of Mangalore University Syndicate. He is the founder president of Mangalore Riders Club. He is also actively involved in the activities of Komu Souharda Vedike, Byari Sahitya Parishat and Byari Welfare Association.
H Anjaneya
* District: Chitradurga (Holalkere)
* Age: 58 years
* Family: Married, 2 Daughters
* Education: PUC
* Caste: Scheduled Caste
Political experience: Anjaneya is a second time MLA and was earlier elected from the Bharamasagara constituency as a Janata Dal (United) candidate. He started his career in 1974 with the Congress and was twice, the member of the Davangere Municipal Council between 1976 and 1987.
K Abhaychandra Jain
* District: Dakshina Kannada (Moodabidri)
* Age: 64 years
* Family: Married, 1 Son 1 Daughter
* Education: Diploma (Mechanical Engineer)
* Caste: Jain
Political experience: He is MLA for the fourth time and was MLC for two terms. He functioned as the chief whip of the government between 2004-07. A loyal Congress worker, he is always articulate when it comes to defending the party in the Assembly.
Dinesh Gundu Rao
* District: Bangalore Urban (Gandhinagar)
* Age: 43 years
* Family: Married, 2 Daughters
* Education: BE (E & C)
* Caste: Brahmin
Political experience: Son of the former chief minister the late R Gunda Rao, Dinesh started his political career as a member of the party and later the president of the State Youth Congress. He was first elected to the Assembly in 1999 and he was won the next three elections too.
Krishna Byre Gowda
* District: Bangalore Urban
* Age: 40 years
* Family: Married
* Education: MA
* Caste: Vokkaliga
Political experience: He is MLA for the fourth time. Son of Janata Parivar leader and former minister the late C Byregowda, Krishna had won from Vemgal constituency in Kolar district twice. From 2008, he has made Byatarayanapura his constituency. He unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Bangalore South. He is projected as an associate of Rahul Gandhi. He is former State youth Congress president.
umashree
* District: Bagalkot (Terdal)
* Age: 56 years
* Family: Married, 1 son, 1 Daughter
* Education: MA
* Caste: OBC (Devanga)
Political experience: Umashree is a popular and versatile film actor. She graduated from theatre to Kannada film land. As a theatre person and cine artiste, she has earned loads of accolades and awards. She has won an international award as Best Actress at Osian’s Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, for her role in Gulabi Talkies. Despite her passion for cinema world, Umashree has been politically active and ambitious. She was a member of the Legislative Council for six years from 2001. Though she is from Tiptur, she has made Terdal her constituency. After losing election in 2008, she did not give up her hopes or the constituency.
Dr Sharan prakash patil
* District: Gulbarga (Sedam)
* Age: 46 years
* Family: Married, 1 Son
* Education: MBBS, MD
* Caste: Lingayat
Political experience: The doctor-turned-politician, Sharan Prakash Patil has been elected MLA from Sedam for the third time. Before becoming an MLA in 2004, he was a Zilla Panchayat member. The petite doctor is highly vocal when it comes to pointing out loopholes in administrations, from local body to the State government.
P T Parameshwar Naik
* District: Bellary (Hadagali)
* Age: 49 years
* Family: Married, 2 Sons
* Education: BA
* Caste: Scheduled Caste
Political experience: A three-time MLA, Naik was earlier elected from the Harapanahalli (SC) constituency in Davanagere district. He shifted to Hadagali, now a reserve constituency, after Harapanahalli became a general constitutency in the delimitation exercise of 2008. Naik hails from the Lambani (Banjara) community.
Santosh Lad
* District: Dharwad (Kalghatagi)
* Age: 38 years
* Family: Married, 1 Son
* Education: BCom
* Caste: Kshatriya Maratha
Political experience: Lad, the third time MLA, is a mining baron who is part of the VS Lad mining firm which operates in Bellary district. A migrant from the JD(S) to the Congress, he had represented Sandur constituency. After joining the Congress, he shifted to Kalghatagi in Dharwad district as Sandur was rserved for the SCs following delimitation.
Kimmane Rathnakar
* District: Shimoga (Teerthahalli)
* Age: 62 years
* Family: Married, 1 Son
* Education: BSc, LLB
* Caste: Vokkaliga
Political experience: He was a practicising advocate and an agriculturist. He began his political career by becoming member of Taluk Board in 1978. Between 1982 and 2005, he was secretary of Teerthahalli Bar Association and then became its president. He was elected to the Assembly for the first time in 2008. Known for this frank talk, he has been maintaining a low profile as MLA.