DHARWAD: On the last day of withdrawal of nominations, 18 candidates have pulled out of the race in seven constituencies of the Dharwad district, leaving a total of 92 candidates in the fray.
The Deputy Commissioner and District Returning Officer Gurudatta Hegde confirmed this in a press communique, stating that the Election Commission had given candidates the opportunity to withdraw their papers if they wished to do so.
Out of a total of 182 candidates who filed their nominations in the seven constituencies, 30 were rejected after the screening, leaving 152 valid nominations. After the withdrawal of 18 candidates, 110 remained in the fray. The ECI had allowed candidates to withdraw their nominations on April 24, between 11 am and 3 pm.
In Navalgund constituency, former Dharwad Zilla Panchayat vice president Shivanand Karigar, who contested as an independent candidate, withdrew his nomination, leaving 13 candidates in the race.
In Kundagol, Shivanand Muttanavar, a former HDMC member, and Goudappagouda Patil, who had raised his voice against MLA Kusumavati Shivalli and was seeking a Congress ticket, also withdrew their nominations. Others who withdrew their papers are Nabisab Nadaf, Sharanappa Kuriyavar, Basavaraj Revadenavar, Gurunath Ghorpade, and Kallappa Bisanalli. Fourteen candidates are now contesting the election from Kundagol.
In Dharwad Rural constituency, Shivalila Kulkarni, the wife of former minister Vinay Kulkarni, withdrew her nomination as an independent candidate. She had filed her nomination as a contingency plan in case her husband’s nomination was rejected. Apart from her, former BJP leader Tavanappa Astagi, who joined Congress yesterday, social activist Basavaraj Koravar, and Basayya Hiremath withdrew their candidature. Eleven candidates are left in the race in Dharwad Rural constituency.
In Hubballi-Dharwad (East) constituency, BJP leader Basavaraj Amminbhavi and former mayor Venkatesh Mestri withdrew their nominations, leaving 11 candidates in the race.
In Hubballi Dharwad Central, former HDMC member Altaf Nawaz Kittur and SSK community leader Hanumanthasa Niranjan also backed out from the race, leaving 16 candidates in the fray.
In Hubballi-Dharwad West Constituency, Rajashekhar Kantimath withdrew his nomination, leaving a total of 15 candidates in the race. In Kalaghatagi, Nagaraj Gatigennavar withdrew his nomination, and 12 candidates are now contesting from this constituency.
The withdrawal of nominations by 18 candidates has brought the number of contestants down to 92, making the electoral race even more exciting and competitive. With the elections just around the corner, voters in the Dharwad district are now eagerly waiting to see who will emerge victorious in the upcoming polls.
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