Senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said that there was nothing wrong with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah contesting from two constituencies in the May 12 Assembly elections, PTI reported. Siddaramaiah will contest from Chamundeshwari in Mysuru district and Badami in North Karnataka.

Kharge recalled that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Vadodara in Gujarat. “He can contest [from two constituencies], what is wrong in that?” the Congress leader asked reporters in Bengaluru. “This is the high command’s decision. People in Badami wanted him to contest from there also.”

The Congress had fielded Dr Devraj Patil from Badami in the list announced on April 15. While the high command was reportedly opposed to the idea of Siddaramaiah contesting from two seats, local party leaders from Bagalkote and Vijayapura districts reportedly wanted him to contest from Badami to boost the party’s prospects in the region.

The chief minister belongs to the Kuruba community, and Badami is seen as a safer seat as it has a strong presence of the members of the community. Recent reports have suggested that the candidate of the Janata Dal (Secular), GT Deve Gowda, might put up a tough fight against the chief minister in Chamundeshwari.

The Assembly elections for Karnataka’s 224 constituencies will be held on May 12, and the votes will be counted on May 15.