Karnataka poll: Issues, key contestants (With: Karnataka votes Sunday to elect new assembly)

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* Corruption scandals of the BJP government in Karnataka and of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre have dominated the poll campaign.

* The Congress claims Karnataka’s development has been stalled by the BJP’s corruption.

* The BJP has hit back, terming the UPA as the most corrupt government India has seen.

* Key contestants:

BJP:

Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, from Hubli-Dharwad Central. He is the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate.

Deputy Chief Ministers K.S. Eshwarappa, from Shimoga and R. Ashok, from Padmanabhanagar in Bangalore.

Congress:

State Congress chief G. Parameshwara, from Koratagere in Tumkur and Siddaramaiah, from Varuna in Mysore (Both are chief ministerial aspirants).

Janata Dal-Secular:

Former chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, from Ramanangaram.

His wife Anita Kumaraswamy, from the neighbouring Chennapatna.

His brother H.D. Revanna, from Holenarsipur in Hassan.

(The siblings are sons of JD-S president and former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda)

KJP:

Its chief, B.S. Yeddyurappa, from Shikaripura in Shimoga.

His staunch follower Shobha Karandlaje, from Rajajinagar in Bangalore. She is taking on Law Minister S. Suresh Kumar.

* Richest candidate: Priya Krishna (29) of the Congress, Vijayanagara in Bangalore. A realtor, his total assets are over Rs. 910 crore (Rs.9.1 billion) and liabilities around Rs. 777 crore (Rs. 7.7 billion).

* Film actors in the fray:

M.H. Ambareesh (Congress) from Mandya in Mandya district.

Pooja Gandhi, born in Punjab, (BSR Congress) from Raichur in north Karnataka.

BSR Congress has been floated by B. Sriramulu, former BJP minister and associate of jailed mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy.

Sriramulu is fighting from Bellary Rural.

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