Bengaluru: In a bid to give a head-start to the 2018 Assembly polls, the JD(S) on Wednesday, finalised the list of probable candidates for 98 Assembly seats.

The list includes 30 of the 40 sitting MLAs. The other notable candidates who find mention in the list include senior Congress leader A.H. Vishwanath, sitting Congress MLA A.S. Patil Nadahalli and six other Congress leaders.

What is interesting to note here is that the Congress leaders who find mention in the list, are yet to leave the party. However, the JD(S) has denied tickets to 7 rebel MLAs.

Those who find place in the list include H.D. Kumaraswamy (Ramanagar), H.D. Revanna (Hole Narasipura), A.H. Vishwanath (Hunsur), G.T. Devegowda (Chamundeshwari), C.S. Puttaraju (Melukote), Prof.K.S. Rangappa (Chamaraja), Ravindra Srikantaiah (Srirangapatna), S.R. Mahesh (K.R.Nagar), Chikkamadu (H.D. Kote), Suresh Gowda (Nagamangala), D.C. Thammanna (Maddur), Dr. Annadani (Malavalli), H.S. Prakash (Hassan) and H.K. Kumaraswamy (Sakaleshpur). The JD(S) has chosen the candidates for 98 seats, where it considers to be strong.

The party chose to finalise the list on Buddha Poornima day, which the JD(S) President H.D. Kumaraswamy considers as most auspicious. Kumaraswamy who visited Nanjangud’s Srikanteshwara Temple yesterday is said to have placed the list in front of Lord Srikanteshwara seeking his blessings. Besides, Kumaraswamy is learnt to have asked the finalised candidates to start campaign in their respective constituency.

These candidates have also been assured that there will be no changes in the list for whatever reason.

Sources in the JD(S) said that the finalised list will be made public at a party convention to take place in North Karnataka sometime later this year. Kumaraswamy has chosen to keep the list very confidential as any lead would mean that the ruling Congress in the State and the BJP at the Centre, may target these candidates by filing false cases against them.

It is now certain that only two H.D. Kumaraswamy and H.D. Revanna from JD(S) supremo and former PM H.D. Devegowda’s family will contest   the polls, although Revanna’s wife Bhavani (Belur), son Prajwal Revanna (Hunsur) and Kumaraswamy’s wife Anitha Kumaraswamy (Channapatna)  had shown keen interest to contest the polls.

The finalised list also include A.S. Patil Nadahalli (Devarahipparagi), A. Manju (Magadi), C.N. Balakrishna (Shravanabelagola), K. Gopalaiah (Mahalakshmi Layout), M. Krishna Reddy (Chintamani), K.N. Manjunath                        Gowda (Malur), Sudhakar Lal (Koratagere), C.B. Suresh Babu (C.N. Halli), S.R. Srinivas (Gubbi), K.M. Thimmarayappa (Pavagada), Y.S.V. Datta (Kadur), B.B. Ningaiah (Moodigere), S. Madhu Bangarappa (Soraba), M.J. Appaji Gowda (Bhadravathi), Sharada Pooryanayak  (Shivamogga Rural), H.S. Shivashankar (Harihar), N.H. Konareddy  (Navalgund), Manappa D. Vajjal (Lingasugur), Dr. Shivaraj Patil (Raichur) and Mallikarjun Khuba (Basavakaliyan).