Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will not be contesting Kolar assembly constituency, according to the third list of 43 candidates released by the Congress on Saturday for next month’s Karnataka Assembly elections.

Siddaramaiah, who is already contesting from Varuna constituency, earlier represented by his son, was seeking to contest Kolar assembly seat as the second constituency, but, as per the list, the Congress has fielded Kothur G Manjunath from the Kolar seat.

According to the list ex-BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi has been fielded from the Athani assembly seat while former Governor Margaret Alva’s son Nivedit Alva will contest from the Kumta assembly seat.

Laxman Savadi resigned from the BJP after being denied a ticket in the upcoming elections, joined the Congress on Friday.

An influential Lingayat leader in Belagavi district, Savadi resigned from the Legislative Council and the BJP on Friday and hours later joined the grand old party.

Congress which is seeking wrest from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming May 10 Assembly polls, has so far fielded candidates in 209 seats, including 124 seats in the first list and another 42 seats in the second list, with seats for 15 more candidates yet to be announced.

In its second list of 41 candidates, the Congress had also marked a seat for Sarvodaya Karnataka Party as the regional outfit’s Darshan Puttannaiah will contest from the Melukote assembly constituency in the poll-bound state.

The Congress, which seeks to oust BJP from power in Karnataka, recently claimed that the saffron party is facing a “mass exodus” in the poll-bound state.

Speaking at a presser earlier this month, senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala had claimed having “authentic information” about the BJP being unable to choose its own candidates in the upcoming Karnataka elections due to a “mass exodus” taking place in the party.

Citing “authentic information”, Surjewala claimed that the BJP is not able to select candidates as the right-wing party’s ministers and MLAs are refusing to contest. He claimed that 10 BJP MLAs, MLCs, ex-MLAs and ex-MLCs, their boards and corporation chairmen have resigned in dozens and joined the Congress.

Karnataka goes to polls on May 10 and results for the 224-member Assembly will be announced on May 13.

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