Karwar/Hubballi, 6 March

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said Congress' list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the State would be announced in two-three days and there is no "major controversy" with respect to their selection.

He said the nominees will be finalised based on the opinion of the party's local leaders. "In two to three days Congress list may also get released. Tomorrow (On Thursday), the central election committee is meeting. Karnataka candidates will also be finalised and announced in two to three days," Siddaramaiah said in Karwar.

"There is no major controversy. This time we are deciding on the basis of the opinion given by district in-charge Ministers, observers, MLAs, defeated candidates, Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members, block committee presidents and district presidents," the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President DK Shivakumar said in Hubballi the list would be finalised after Thursday's meeting in the national capital under the leadership of AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge.

The BJP had swept the 2019 general elections, bagging 25 of the total 28 seats in the State, while an independent backed by the party had also emerged victorious.

The Congress and the JD(S) headed by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, which were running a coalition government back then and fought the election together, had come a cropper winning just one seat each.

But the political scene has changed significantly since then; the Congress scored a thumping victory in the Assembly elections in May last year and now appears battle-ready, determined to put up a strong show in the Lok Sabha polls.

It is also a role reversal of sorts for JD(S) which joined the BJP-led NDA in September last year. The party is currently engaged in talks with the BJP over seat-sharing arrangement for the polls and wants to prove that it's still a force to reckon with, particularly in South Karnataka.