Lok Sabha elections: Byregowda Congress pick for Bengaluru North

BENGALURU: RDPR minister Krishna Byregowda will be the Congress candidate from the Bengaluru North constituency.
Byregowda, who represents Byatarayanapura assembly segment in Bengaluru North, will file his nomination on Tuesday. He will take on Union minister DV Sadananda Gowda, who is seeking a second tenure.
Congress leaders Siddaramaiah, G Parameshwara, D K Shivakumar, Dinesh Gundurao among others, who met here on Monday night, finalized Byregowda’s candidature.Former MP B L Shankar, sitting MPs SP Muddahanume Gowda and Rajeev Gowda, and legislator M Narayanaswamy also figured in the discussions.
The Congress was under pressure to finalize candidates at the earliest as Tuesday is the last day for filing nominations.
According to sources, the Congress leadership asked the JD(S) to return the Bengaluru North seat, from where a large section in the party had wanted former PM H D Deve Gowda to contest after he filed his nomination papers from Tumakuru. The Congress has given the Tumakuru seat after denying ticket to sitting MP Muddahanumegowda. This will be the second time Byregowda will be trying his luck to get into the Parliament. In 2009, he contested from Bengaluru South, but lost to late Union minister HN Ananth Kumar after putting up a tough fight.
It is learnt that Muddahanumegowda and Rajeev Gowda, whose tenure as a Rajya Sabha member ends in 2020, were keen on Bengaluru North.