Bangalore: The Janata Dal (Secular) on Monday released a list of 12 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections.

The Parliamentary Board of the party, which met here finalised candidates. According to sources, the list of another 16 candidates would be announced in the next two days. As expected, the former Prime Minister and party national president H.D. Deve Gowda will contest from his home turf Hassan.

Geetha Shivarajkumar, wife of actor Shivarajkumar, will take on the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Manjunath Bhandary of the Congress in the Shimoga Lok Sabha constituency.
Other candidates

A. Krishnappa is fighting against Mudduhanume Gowda of the Congress in Tumkur, and the former Minister Gulihatti Shekhar, who joined the party recently, will take on Janardhana Swamy of the BJP in Chitradurga.
Campaign launched

The former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy launched the Janata Dal’s (Secular) campaign for the Lok Sabha elections in the State here on Monday.

Addressing a gathering at Netaji Stadium in Mulbagal, he said Keshav would be the party’s candidate for the Kolar Lok Sabha (Reserved) constituency.

Mr. Kumaraswamy criticised the Anna Bhagya scheme under which 30 kg rice is being distributed for the poor at Re. 1 a kg. “Out of 30 kg, people sell 20 kg either to hotels or shop owners,” he said. Instead of spending money on such schemes, the government should accord priority to irrigation projects, he said.

Though hailstorm was wreaking havoc in parts of north Karnataka, the State government did not come to the rescue of the people, Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged.

The BJP in the State was seeking votes in the name of Narendra Modi as it did not have the moral strength to face voters on the basis of its government’s performance in last five years, it was , he said.

The former Chief Minister said Union Minister K.H. Muniyappa was financially sound. Now with Congress government in power in the State, the chances of Mr. Muniyappa misusing the official machinery could not be ruled out, he added.