Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi, who is seeking re-election for the fifth time, filed his nomination papers in Dharwad on Monday after taking out a huge procession in which the former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, the former Ministers Byrati Suresh, C.T. Ravi and others took part.
As if to counter the Lingayat card being played by Fakira Dingaleshwar Swami, the Union Minister had a majority of Lingayat leaders of the BJP by his side when he submitted four sets of nomination papers to the Returning Officer Divya Prabhu G.R.J.
His retinue included the former MPs Vijay Sankeshwar and Prabhakar Kore, the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, the former Minister Shankar Patil Munenakoppa, Members of Legislative Assembly Mahesh Tenginakai and M.R. Patil, the former MLAs Amrut Desai and Seema Masuti and the former MLC Nagaraj Chabbi.
