Bangalore, May 22 (UNI) A dozen candidates, including Council Chairman V R Sudarshan (Congress), have filed their nominations for the June one election to the Karnataka Legislative Council from the State Assembly to fill 11 seats.

The ruling coalition partners, Janata Dal (S) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the main opposition Congress have nominated four candidates each for the biennial elections to the upper house.

The candidates were V R Sudarshan, Mottamma, K C Kondaiah and Harshad Ali Khan (Congress), Chikkamadu, H C Neeravari, Abdul Azeem, Amarnath Shetty rpt Amarnath Shetty (JD-S), Vimala Gowda, Thontadarya, D S Veeraiah and Janardhan Reddy (BJP).

In a last minute development, the All India Progressive Janata Dal (AIPJD) led by former Deputy Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, having eight members in the Assembly, decided to support the fourth candidate of the Congress, Mr Sudarshan. AIPJD had earlier nominated its senior leader C M Ibrahim as a candidate.

The elections were being held to fill 11 seats falling vacant on June 17. Among the retiring members, Mr Sudarshan, Mr Kondaiah Ms Vimala Gowda rpt Ms Vimala Gowda and Mr Arshad Ali had been renominated.

UNI MSP-VK RG GM1620