Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 19 (ANI): Congress heavyweights, including the party's national president Mallikarjun Kharge, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, state chief DK Shivakumar, LoP Siddaramaiah, Shashi Tharoor former BJP leader and deputy chief minister Jagadish Shettar, among others, featured in the party's list of star campaigners for the May 10 Assembly elections.

The grand old party on Wednesday unveiled a list of 40-star campaigners for the Karnataka Assembly elections.

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Among the other prominent names in the party's list of campaigners are Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala, general secretary in-charge, Communication, Jairam Ramesh, Bengaluru Rural MP DK Suresh, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, and former Maharastra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Earlier on Wednesday, senior Congress leader and former CM Siddaramaiah filed his nomination for the state polls. Speaking to reporters after officially entering the fray, he said the Congress was a secular party and won't seek votes on the basis of caste.

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Siddaramaiah filed his nomination from the Varuna Assembly constituency.

"Congress is a secular party. We are not seeking votes on the basis of caste. We are hopeful of garnering votes from across communities, including Linagayts, Vokkaligas and others," Siddaramaiah told reporters.

The last date for filing nominations is April 20.

Earlier on April 7, Karnataka Leader of Opposition (LoP) Siddaramaiah said the upcoming state elections will be his last electoral battle as he will retire from politics after.

"I am contesting from Varuna constituency as my native village falls within the precincts of this Assembly segment. This is going to be my last election. Thereafter, I will retire from electoral politics," Siddaramaiah told ANI earlier.

The Congress leader added that while he will still be in active politics post the Karnataka polls, he won't accept any party posts that would require him to shift base to Delhi.

The process of nominations has picked up momentum in Karnataka, with senior leaders from all the key electoral players in the southern state filing their papers.

The counting of votes for the Kantaka Assembly will take place on May 13. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)