Bengaluru, Oct 4 : Kusuma H., widow of IAS officer D.K. Ravi, joined the Congress on Sunday, ahead of the November 3 by-elections to two assembly seats in Karnataka. "Kusuma, 31, formally joined our party as a primary member earlier in the day," a party leader told IANS here. Ravi, 35, a 2009 batch Karnataka cadre IAS officer, committed suicide in the city on March 16, 2015 for "personal reasons". "The party is considering Kusuma as a candidate for the RR Nagar by-poll, as she is educated and young, and can connect with the youth," said Congress state President D.K. Shivakumar. The by-election in the RR Nagar was necessitated by the resignation of sitting Congress MLA Munirathna, who joined the BJP in 2019. The other by-election in Sira assembly segment in Tumakuru district is caused by the death of sitting JD-S legislator B. Satyanarayana on August 5 after prolonged illness. The by-polls will be notified on October 9, the last date for nominations is October 16, scrutiny will be held on October 17 and last date of withdrawal is October 19. Results will be announced on November 10. By-poll to the RR Nagar seat could not be held on December 5, 2019 along with by-elections in 15 assembly seats across the state, as its result in the May 2018 assembly polls was challenged in the Karnataka High Court by BJP runner-up Muniraju Gowda who cited alleged electoral malpractice by Munirathna. With the court disposing off the case in favour of Munirathana in February, the poll panel has decided to conduct the by-election in RR Nagar along with Sira on November 3 with bypolls in 54 assembly seats in other states across the country. Kusuma's father Hanumantharayappa is a former Congress council member from RR Nagar zone and former chairman of the Mysuru planning committee. The ruling BJP and the JD-S are yet to nominate their candidates for the bypolls. /IANS