Bangalore, Apr 11 : Former Judges, Advocates, techies, army personnel, teachers and social activists are among 273 contestants in the fray vying for 17 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka in the first phase of elections in the state on April 23.
In an interesting battle in the second phase of elections on April 23, 70-year-old former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court N Y Hanumanthappa is contesting from Bellary (ST) Parliament constituency on a Congress ticket. Fighting against him on a BJP ticket is J Shantha, a novice in politics and a relative of state Health and Family Welfare Minister Sriramulu.
Justice Hanumanthappa, who had passed his Master degree in 1961, had also served as a teacher in a law college in Karnataka before entering into law profession.
Among the legal fraternity, former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerappa Moily is contesting from Chickballapur Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket followed by another former Chief Minister N Dharam Singh and Mallikarjuna Kharge, who both were practicing lawyers before joining politics.
While Mr Dharam Singh is contesting from Bidar Lok Sabha Seat, his party colleague Mallikarjuna Kharge is the party nominee from Gulbarga.
Former AICC General Secretary Margaret Alva, also a law graduate, is the party nominee from Uttara Kannada Parliament seat while her party colleague, Basavaraja Rayareddy, also a law graduate, is contesting the election from Koppal Lok Sabha seat.
Another Congress candidate and sitting MP, Tejasvini Gowda, contesting from Bangalore (rural), is also a law graduate and she is taking on JD(S) leader and former Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, a science graduate.