Congress fields Ayanur Manjunath to contest from South-West Graduate Constituency

Congress fields Ayanur Manjunath in Karnataka Legislative Council election from Shivamogga, aiming to break BJP's 42-year hold.

The Congress has decided to field Ayanur Manjunath, who joined the party in August 2023, in the election for the Karnataka Legislative Council from South-West Graduate Constituency.

Mr. Manjunath, who was in the Legislative Council as a member of the BJP, quit the party ahead of the Assembly polls last year and joined the JD(S). He contested for the Assembly from the Shivamogga Assembly seat and lost the deposit. He secured only 8,863 votes. Later, he joined the Congress and was appointed spokesperson.

Mr. Manjunath, 69, has the distinct status of being elected to all four houses of the legislature. He began his career as an MLA from Hosanagara in 1994. He was elected to the Lok Sabha after defeating former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa in 1998. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2010. He was elected to the Legislative Council in 2018 from the South-West Graduate Constituency. However, he resigned before completing his term. Now, he is contesting again for the same constituency.

Shivamogga District Congress Committee president H.S. Sundaresh and other leaders of the party greeted him on Friday, March 22, for being chosen as the party’s candidate.

Addressing the media, Mr. Manjunath thanked the party leaders for choosing him to contest the election. He would work towards winning the seat with the cooperation of all leaders and workers in the party. “The constituency has been represented by the BJP for the last 42 years. This time we will win,” he said.

The party’s State unit had sent two names — Ayanur Manjunath and S.P. Dinesh for the ticket. Mr. Dinesh was in the fray in the last elections on the Congress ticket. Finally, the party high-command chose Ayanur Manjunath.

The constituency spreads over Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, Kodagu, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, and parts of Davangere districts. As of now, there are about 84,000 voters enrolled. Graduates still have time to enrol. The election for the graduates’ constituencies are likely to held in June, after the Lok Sabha polls.