Former IAS officer, techie among AAP candidates in Bengaluru

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday announced its first list of 18 candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections. It includes a former IAS officer and a techie, who will both be contesting from Bengaluru.

Renuka Vishwanathan, who was the first woman in the State to occupy the post of Deputy Commissioner, in Uttara Kannada in the mid 70s, will contest against the sitting Congress MLA from Shanthinagar, N.A. Haris. She claims there has been a steady increase in people wishing to become volunteers in her campaign in the past fortnight, ever since news broke on Mr. Haris’s son allegedly thrashing a 23-year-old man at an upmarket restaurant last month. “It (the attack) has lifted the lid off a can of worms. People are now talking about the bullying by the MLA’s family,” she said.

Lingaraj Urs, a 52-year-old tech entrepreneur, has been named to contest against sitting Congress MLA Byrathi Basavaraj, a close aide of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, for K.R. Puram constituency. Mr. Urs, the co-founder of Genisys Software India, belongs to the family of former Chief Minister D. Devaraj Urs. He is a member of the Kannamangala Gram Panchayat. In Bengaluru, the party also announced its candidates from some key constituencies such as Sarvagnanagar, from where AAP State convener Pruthvi Reddy will contest against Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George. In Shivajinagar, now represented by Information Minister Roshan Baig, the AAP has fielded Ayub Khan, who has been working with the autorickshaw driver community. Young Syed Assad Abbas will contest against Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy in BTM Layout constituency.

The party announced candidates to be fielded against two former Chief Ministers in the State. In Hubballi-Dharwad-Central, aeronautical engineer Santhosh Naragund

, who has worked in the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas project, is set to take on Jagadish Shettar, while activist Chandrakanth Revankar will contest against BJP State chief B.S. Yeddyurappa in Shikaripur.

Kejriwal to address rallies

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal is expected to address a series of rallies in the State in the run-up to the Assembly elections. According to party sources, Mr. Kejriwal will address rallies outside Bengaluru too. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and many other leaders are expected to come for campaigning.