Bengaluru, April 26: The returning officer of Mulbagal constituency on Thursday rejected the nomination of former MLA and Congress candidate Kothur G Manjunath, citing a Karnataka High Court order which annulled his 2013 victory for "falsely claiming to be a Dalit".

Manjunath had won the 2013 polls contesting as an Independent. After his victory, he supported the Siddaramaiah government and officially became part of the Congress.

With his disqualification, the Congress has been rendered candidate-less in the reserved assembly segment of Mulbagal.

The case against Manjunath was filed in 2013 by rival JD(S) candidate Muninanjappa, who was defeated in the then assembly polls. An inquiry into the matter revealed that Manjunath belonged to the Bairagi caste which falls under the Other Backward Classes and not the Scheduled Castes.

The JD(S) has nominated Samruddhi Manjunath as its candidate from Mulbagal in the upcoming polls. The party claims it is poised to win the reserved constituency with support extended from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

"With Mayawati ji supporting us, the Muslims and Dalits are clear of all sorts of apprehension on whom they should be supporting in the upcoming polls. We are the true seculars," said JD(S) spokesperson Tanveer Ahmed said.

Apart from Mayawati, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has also appealed the Dalit and Muslim voters to rally behind the JD(S), calling it the only credible alternative.

The assembly polls in Karnataka are scheduled to be held across the 224 seats on May 12. The results will be declared on May 15.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 26, 2018 09:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).