Bengaluru: Family politics in assembly elections is not new. This time also fathers, children and family members are in the Election fray. Most of the members belong to the Reddy family of Bellary. Four persons from this family are contesting as candidates.
Members of Bellary's Reddy family are in most numbers in the electoral arena. Bellary City MLA Gali Somasekhar Reddy and Harpanahalli MLA Gali Karunakara Reddy are again contesting from BJP. While brother of former minister Gali Janardhana Reddy has resigned from the BJP and has formed Kalyana Rajya Pragati Party. Janardhana Reddy, contesting from Gangavati, is leading, an early trend shows. His wife Aruna Lakshmi is also contesting in the newly-formed party ticket from the Bellary City constituency.
Ramesh Jarakiholi and Balachandra Jarakiholi are candidates from Gokak and Arabavi constituencies in the Belagavi district. Two tickets have been given to the family members of late Lingayat community leader Umesh Katti. Ramesh Katti contested from Chikkodi-Sadalaga constituency and his son Nikhil Katti was fielded from the Hukkeri constituency.
Transport Minister B Sriramulu fought from Bellary Rural and his nephew Suresh Babu contested from Kampli constituency. Former Chief Minister S Bangarappa's son Kumar Bangarappa will contest as the BJP candidate from Soraba in Shimoga district, while his brother Madhu Bangarappa has entered the election arena as a Congress candidate from the same constituency.
BJP's S Raghu is contesting from CV Raman Nagar constituency in Bangalore. He is former state cabinet minister Arvind Limbavali's brother-in-law. Aravind Limbavali is the current MLA from Mahadevpur constituency. This time, Limbavali's wife Manjula was given a ticket from the same constituency. Both father and son from the Shamanur family in Davangere are in the fray. 92-year-old senior politician and five-time MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa again contested from the Davangere South constituency, while his son S.S. Mallikarjun fought from Davangere North.
Former Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy is a candidate from Congress in Bengaluru's BTM Layout while daughter Soumya Reddy is a candidate from Jayanagar constituency.
Former MP KH Muniyappa is the Congress candidate from Kolar's Devanahalli constituency, while his daughter Rupkala M is contesting from KGF constituency. MLA M.Krishnappa and his son Priyakrishna contested on Congress tickets from Vijayanagar and Govindaraj Nagar constituencies. JDS party leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy is contesting from Channapattana, his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy contested from Ramanagara and his brother HM Revanna was fielded from Holenarasipura Hassan. MLA GT Deve Gowda was a candidate from the Chamundeshwari constituency, while his son Harish Gowda contested from Hunsur.
