If BJP cedes Mandya seat to JD(S), it remains to be seen whether Sumalatha will contest as an independent again as she did in 2019 (PTI photo)
The BJP leadership’s decision on the Mandya Lok Sabha seat is eagerly awaited, with the party’s backed Independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh and his alliance partner JD(S) both making a strong pitch for the ticket.
While JD(S) has told the BJP leadership that it wants to field its candidate, multilingual actress and politician Sumalatha has also thrown her hat into the ring and wants to contest on a ticket of the national party.
JD(S) is dead set on this seat – which is located between Bengaluru and Mysuru – as the constituency is dominated by Vokkaligas, the community that forms its strong voter base. The party led by former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda has already held several rounds of meetings under state president HD Kumaraswamy to decide the candidate.
Incidentally, in 2019, Sumalatha had defeated then Chief Minister Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil, the joint candidate of the Congress-JD(S) alliance in Mandya, known in Kannada as ‘Sakkare Naadu’ (land of sugar).
Mandya is known for his rivalry between Congress and JD(S) for supremacy. The BJP has also made efforts to make inroads here over the years.
Sumalatha came into the picture in 2019 after the death of her husband and popular film star MH Ambareesh, who represented Mandya in the Lok Sabha.
In that election, she had defeated Nikhil Kumaraswamy of JD(S), grandson of Deve Gowda, by a huge margin of 1,25,876 votes.
However, BJP sources said that this time the party might leave Mandya’s seat to its alliance partner. This is despite the fact that many local leaders support Sumalatha’s candidature from the party and oppose the move to give the seat to JD(S).
JD(S) has started working on plans for Mandya; While there is pressure on HD Kumaraswamy to contest, former minister and ex-MP CS Puttaraju could get the ticket, if the former chooses not to, party sources said.
Not wanting to say much about who will get the Mandya ticket, Kumaraswamy claims that the BJP high command will announce the decision.
Sumalatha too has expressed confidence about getting the ticket from Mandya, who has confidence in the central leadership of the BJP. She had earlier met top brass of the party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and national president JP Nadda.
“The high command (BJP) should say that they have to take a decision. My decision not to leave Mandya is always strong,” she has said.
When asked if she will contest even if the BJP denies her the ticket, she said, “Wait for a few days, maximum a week, everything will be in front of you. Then let us speak. It is my wish to become a BJP MP become.”
If BJP gives up Mandya’s seat to JD(S), it remains to be seen whether Sumalatha will contest as an independent again as she did in 2019 after Congress denied her the ticket and gave it to JD(S). Sumalatha followed a wave of sympathy after her husband’s death.
Popular Kannada film stars like Darshan and Yash had campaigned for her then. Darshan has said that he will campaign and support her this time too, addressing her as “mother”.
The Congress, banking on implementation of its guarantee schemes, has fielded Venkatarame Gowda (Star Chandru), a contractor, as Mandya’s candidate despite opposition from within the party. Gowda is the brother of independent MLA from Gauribidanur KH Puttaswamy Gowda, who supported the Congress in the recent Rajya Sabha polls.
Mandya has eight assembly segments, six of which are represented by Congress, and one each by JD(S) and ‘Sarvodaya Karnataka Paksha’.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: March 10, 2024 | 3:03 PM IST