Chikballapur: Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday said his name will be included in the second list of Congress candidates to be announced on Wednesday.

“It will be announced tomorrow,’’ the minister told Express scotching rumours that he will be denied the ticket for Chikballapur. After his name didn’t figure in the first list of  Congress, speculation was rife that Moily may not get a renomination following an FIR filed against him by the erstwhile Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi for hiking gas price. Meanwhile, MLA V Muniyappa, backed by Union Minister K H Muniyapp is leaving no stone unturned to get the Congress ticket as Moily’s name didn’t figure in the first list.

Bangalore: The lone Samajwadi Party (SP) member in the State Legislative Assembly C P Yogeshwar formally joined the Congress on Tuesday. The announcement was made by party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi in New Delhi.

The MLA from Chennapattana in Bangalore Rural constituency  said he decided quit the SP after being invited by CM Siddaramaiah and KPCC president G Parameshwara. With Yogeshwar switching sides, the SP now has no representation in the State Assemby.

Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav had been planning to strengthen the party after Yogeshwar’s election to the Assembly. The SP bosses had even appointed retired DG&IG Shankar Bidari as the party’s state president. But he was replaced by former Union minister Babagouda Patil. Recently, Patil quit the party and joined the BJP.