Karnataka Assembly Elections: BJP Minister N Nagaraju Declares Assets Worth Rs 1,609 Crore

Bengaluru: Considered to be one of the richest politicians in the country, Karnataka Minister N Nagaraju (MTB) has declared total assets worth Rs 1,609 crore, while filing the nomination for May 10 Assembly polls in the state. Nagaraju filed the papers on Monday as the ruling BJP's candidate from the Hoskote Assembly segment, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. 

In his election affidavit, Nagaraju, who has mentioned his occupation or profession as agriculturist and business, along with his wife M Shanthakumari, a housewife, together own movable assets worth Rs 536 crore. The couple's immovable assets are worth Rs 1,073 crore. 

Nagaraju, who is currently an MLC, in June 2020, while contesting the Legislative Council election, had declared assets worth about Rs 1,220 crore, along with his wife. In the affidavit filed today along with the nomination, the couple has declared total liabilities of Rs 98.36 crore. Nagaraju (72), who has studied up to Class 9, has detailed his source of income as agriculture, house property, business and other sources, and that of his wife also to be house property and other sources. 

Nagaraju in the 2018 Assembly polls had won from Hoskote Assembly segments from Congress. He was one of the 17 MLAs who later defected from the party led to the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in 2019. In the subsequently held bypolls he lost from Hoskote against independent candidate Sharath Bachegowda, who is now with Congress. Both who have turned out to be bitter rivals are facing each other once again.

BJP Releases Third List

Meanwhile, the BJP today released its third list of 10 candidates for the Karnataka assembly polls and fielded its state general secretary Mahesh Tenginkai from Hubli-Dharwad Central, a seat held by veteran Jagadish Shettar who has joined the Congress after being denied a ticket by the ruling party. 

The BJP also dropped its seasoned leader Arvind Limbavali from the Mahadevapura constituency but, in an apparent bid to placate him, fielded his wife Manjula Aravind Limbavali. The BJP has so far named 222 candidates for the May 10 polls to the 224-member assembly. The last date for filing nominations is April 20.

Top Karnataka Leaders File Nomination

Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, state Congress president D K Shivakumar and BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa's son B Y Vijayendra were among the prominent leaders who filed their nominations on Monday for the May 10 Assembly polls in Karnataka. Roadshows, drumbeats, sloganeering, waving of party flags, and visits to temples marked the day in most constituencies across the state today, with a large number of candidates and leaders filing their papers.

H D Kumaraswamy

Kumaraswamy held a road show ahead of filing nominations in Channapatna. Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy filed his nomination in Ramanagara accompanied by his mother and JD(S) sitting MLA from the segment Anitha Kumaraswamy. Nikhil, an actor-turned-politician, contested the 2019 LokSabha polls from Mandya unsuccessfully.

Both father and son, who are contesting from the neighbouring constituencies of Channapatna and Ramanagara respectively, earlier in the day met party patriarch and former PM H D Deve Gowda (Kumaraswamy's father and Nikhil's grandfather) to collect their 'B form' and took his blessings.

"People of Ramanagara and my family have become integral parts of each other and there is an emotional connection with the people there. Similar is the case with Channapatna," Kumaraswamy said.

H D Revanna

Deve Gowda's elder son and former Minister H D Revanna filed his nomination from Holenarsipura in the family's home turf of Hassan district, accompanied by his wife Bhavani Revanna and their son and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna. The family visited temples before filing the nominations.

D K Shivakumar

D K Shivakumar too held a road show and visited a temple of his family deity Kabbalamma, accompanied by his wife, in Kanakapura where the BJP has fielded its Vokkaliga face and Minister R Ashoka against him. Speaking to reporters after filing his nomination, Shivakumar said that he had nurtured hundreds of leaders in the constituency in the past 35 years and they would fight the election on his behalf, the results of which would be seen on the day of the announcement of results. "I'm not the candidate here. Every household and family in this constituency will do the elections thinking themselves as the candidates, as I have served them for 35 years..." he said.

B Y Vijayendra

In the Shikaripura seat in Shivamogga district, vacated by BJP strongman and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, his son and state BJP vice president B Y Vijayendra filed his nomination today accompanied by family and supporters. Vijayendra held a road show before filing papers. "I have filled my nomination at an auspicious muhurta today. On April 19, I will be filing another set of nominations accompanied by my father Yediyurappa and other leaders," he said.

V Somanna, C T Ravi & Others

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai accompanied Minister V Somanna who filed his nomination in Varuna, where he is contesting against senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. In Hoskote, both Minister and MLC M T B Nagaraj as well as his bitter opponent Sharath Bachegowda from Congress filed their papers today.

Minister R Ashoka, who is also contesting from Padmanabhanagar along with Kanakapura against Shivakumar, submitted his nomination today at Padmanabhanagar in Bengaluru which he currently represents, accompanied by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya.

BJP's National general secretary C T Ravi from Chikkamagaluru, Kumar Bangarappa from Soraba, Ministers Ashwath Narayan from Malleshwaram and K Sudhakar from Chikkaballapura, and former KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao from Gandhinagar are among others who filed their nomination on Monday.