Politics is in their DNA for over 100 candidates

Charges of 'dynasty rule' and 'hereditary politics' often levelled by political parties and politicians against one another, seem to be true if one were to go by the background of the candidates contesting the Saturday's Assembly elections.

More than 100 candidates, fielded by the Congress, the BJP, and JD(S), are children of present and former chief ministers, ministers, MPs, MLAs and MLCs. There also some candidates whose father and mother were both legislators: Ashok Pattan (Congress, Ramdurg), Dr Preetham Nagappa (BJP, Hanur) and Ramesh Bandisidde Gowda (Congress, Srirangapatna) and Anand Asnotikar (JD-S, Karwar).

Third gen contestants

Former MLA Dr M C Sudhakar, who is contesting as an Independent from the Chintamani in Chikkaballapur district, is the son of former Home Minister A Chowda Reddy. Dr Sudhakar's grandfather Anjaneya Reddy was also an MLA from the same seat. Dr Sudhakar's Congress rival Vani Krishna Reddy's father Krishna Reddy, also a former Home Minister, and grandfather Gangi Reddy were also MLAs from Chintamani.

Besides Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's son Dr Yathindra who is in fray from Chamundeshwari, children of former chief ministers Dinesh Gundu Rao (Congress), Basavaraj Bommai (BJP), Kumar Bangarappa (BJP) and Madhu Bangarappa (JD-S), H D Kumaraswamy and H D Revanna (both JD-S), Ajay Singh (Congress) and Mahima Patel (JD-U) are also in the race. Former chief minister the late Kengal Hanumanthaiah's grandson Kengal Sripad Renu is facing his maiden election as the Congress candidate from Malleswaram.

On the other, over half-a-dozen ministers in the Siddaramaiah's Cabinet--- H K Patil, Krishna Byre Gowda, Eshwar Khandre, S S Mallikarjun, M B Patil, Priyank Kharge, Pramod Madhwaraj and Tanveer Sait--- who are seeking re-election, are all children of former ministers.

Similarly, children of several former ministers are in the fray. Sharath Bache Gowda (BJP, Hoskote), Satpthagiri Gowda (BJP, Chickpet), Suryakanth Nagamarpalli (BJP, Bidar North), Dr Preetam Nagappa (BJP, Hanur), Anil Ramakrishna (Congress, Gulbarga Rural), M P Ravindra (Congress, Harapanahalli), Rajashekar Patil (Congress, Humnabad) are prominent among them.

Not just ministers, even former Speaker the late B G Banakar's son U B Banakar (BJP, Hirekerur) and former deputy Speaker Chandrashekar Mamani's son Vishwanath Mamani (BJP, Saundatti Yellamma) too are trying their luck for the second time in a row.

Children of former Union ministers, R L Jalappa's son J Narasimhaswamy (BJP) from Doddaballapur and K H Muniyappa's daughter Roopakala Shashidhar of the Congress from KGF (SC) are in race. Sitting Chikkodi MP Prakash Hukkeri's son Ganesh Hukkeri (Congress, Chikkodi-Sadalgha) and Koppal MP Karadi Sanganna's son Amaresh Karadi (BJP, Koppal) too are facing the polls.

Prominent among the children of former MLAs, MLCs and MPs who are in the fray include: Umesh Katti (BJP, Hukkeri), Sharanabasappa Darshanapur (Congress, Shahpur), Guru Patil (BJP, Shahpur), Anil Lad (Congress, Bellary City), Dr Hemachandra Sagar (JD-S, Chickpet), Ashwini Sampangi (BJP, KGF), Jyothi Ganesh (BJP, Tumkur City), Raghavendra Hitnal (Congress, Koppal) and K P Bache Gowda (JD-S, Chikkaballapur).