As back-up for Shivakumar, brother files nomination from same seat
The Congress sprang a surprise Thursday, the last day of filing of nominations for the May 10 Karnataka polls, with state chief D K Shivakumar’s younger brother and Lok Sabha member D K Suresh filing a second party nomination from the Kanakapura seat — which is held by Shivakumar.
The move comes two days after Shivakumar filed his nomination. Suresh said it was a precautionary measure in the event of the disqualification of his brother. The Enforcement Directorate, in a money laundering investigation against Shivakumar, had earlier indicated that the Congress MLA had shown an incorrect declaration of wealth in a previous election.
The BJP rival to Shivakumar in the Kanakapura seat, R Ashoka, has suggested that the move by the brothers was a consequence of strategies likely to be adopted by the party’s central leadership.
Shivakumar is facing a probe by the CBI in a case of disproportionate assets. He has sought a dismissal of the case and the Karnataka High Court has reserved its verdict. According to Suresh, his brother also recently received notices from the Income Tax department in Chennai.
Election authorities are scheduled to scrutinise the nominations between April 21 to April 24 and can reject nominations that are not in order.
