The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Bengaluru): Within the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S), there’s brewing unease as rumors circulate that H D Kumaraswamy, the party’s state President, might run for the Lok Sabha seat in Mandya. This speculation has sparked discontent among some party members from the Channapatna Assembly constituency, which Kumaraswamy currently serves as a representative.
The party’s main leadership group is set to convene in Bengaluru on Tuesday to finalize their choices for candidates in Kolar, Hassan, and Mandya. These constituencies are crucial to the JD(S) as part of an electoral agreement with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Amid strong speculation that Kumaraswamy will throw his hat in the ring for Mandya, members and leaders from Channapatna met with him on Monday, appealing for him to stay and continue representing them in the state Assembly.
Yet, there’s a faction within both the JD(S) and the BJP in Mandya who are keen on seeing Kumaraswamy contest from the Lok Sabha constituency, suggesting a divided preference among the party ranks.
Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, a leading figure in the Yuva JD(S), addressed the media, expressing the prevalent sentiment among party members that “Kumaranna” should not leave Channapatna. He mentioned that discussions were ongoing and decisions would soon be made, highlighting the high expectations within the party and among BJP members that Kumaraswamy’s candidacy could invigorate their base in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The consideration of Kumaraswamy’s candidacy has also brought attention to other potential candidates like Nikhil Kumaraswamy himself and C S Puttaraju, a senior party leader and former MP, as potential JD(S) representatives for Mandya.
Sumalatha Ambareesh, a popular actress turned politician who won the Mandya seat in 2019 as an independent with BJP support, has expressed interest in re-election, further complicating the political dynamics. This development came after Dr. Radha Mohan Das Agarwal, the BJP’s General Secretary responsible for Karnataka elections, declared that the JD(S) would be contesting in Mandya, Hassan, and Kolar in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, setting the stage for a closely watched political showdown.