Bangalore:
Popular Kannada film actor Ramya on Saturday filed nomination papers as the Congress candidate for the August 21 bypoll to Mandya Lok Sabha seat from Karnataka.
She is pitted against former legislator C. S. Puttaraju of Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), who filed his papers on Friday. Mandya is about 80km from Bangalore.
For the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha seat, for which bypoll is also being held on August 21, the Congress has fielded DK Suresh, brother of party legislator and former minister D. K. Shivakumar.
Suresh will face Anita Kumaraswamy of JD-S. Anita is the wife of JDS state president and former chief minister H. D. Kumaraswamy.
Suresh and Anita filed their papers on Saturday.
Mr Kumaraswamy is the son of JD-S president and former prime minister H. D. Deve Gowda.
Both the seats were held by the JD-S - Bangalore Rural by Kumaraswamy and Mandya by N. Cheluvarayaswamy.
The two quit the Lok Sabha following their election to the state assembly in the May 5 poll.
The two constituencies are considered a stronghold of JD-S and hence winning them is matter of prestige for both the ruling Congress and the JDS.
This is the first bypoll the Congress is facing after returning to power in Karnataka after defeating the Bharatiya Janata Party in the May 5 assembly elections.
The BJP, which has little presence in these parts of the state, has fielded local leaders.
Counting is on August 24.