"Confident of winning with largest majority": Karnataka CM Bommai on assembly polls

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 18 : Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party will return to power in Karnataka with the "largest majority" and said that the Kannada film actor Kichcha Sudeep will accompany him during nomination filing tomorrow.

"This time there is a huge support and I'm confident of winning with the largest majority this time," CM Bommai told .

He confirmed that Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeepa will join him, while he files his nominations for the May 10 elections.

On former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagdish Shettar's defection, the CM said, "Nothing has shaken. Not even a small brick has changed. We are going to win all three Hubli-Dharwad seats, including Jagadish Shettar's seat."

BJP on Monday announced its candidate for the Hubballi-Dharwad Central seat hours after former Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar joined the Congress.

Jagadish Shettar's resignation from BJP and his joining Congress has made Hubballi-Dharwad Central a key battle in the assembly polls. Shettar, a six-time MLA, represented the seat in the outgoing assembly and was keen to be given a ticket from the constituency.

He is the second senior leader from the Lingayat community to leave the ruling BJP and join Congress in the past four days. Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi had joined the Congress on Friday.

The nomination process for the May 10 assembly polls in the state will end on April 20.

The result of the assembly polls will be declared on May 13.