All eyes on Sumalatha’s next move, while Congress woos Narayana Gowda

Sumalatha | Photo Credit: File Photo

With the JD(S) formally announcing former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy as the BJP-JD(S) combine’s candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency in the forthcoming polls, all eyes are now on the next course of action of incumbent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh, who was hoping to seek re-election from the constituency as the BJP candidate.

Though Ms. Sumalatha had won as an independent candidate after defeating Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the Congress-JD(S) combine’s nominee during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, she had declared her support to the BJP ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in Karnataka. She had time and again reiterated that she was hopeful of securing the BJP ticket, but also made it clear that she would contest the elections only from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, earlier represented by her late husband and actor Ambareesh.

Meanwhile, the Congress, which has already fielded Venkataramane Gowda, also known as ‘Star Chandru’, as its candidate for Mandya Lok Sabha seat, said the party would welcome support from Ms. Sumalatha.

Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy, who is also Minister in-charge of Mandya district, recalled his close ties with the late Mr. Ambareesh and his family and said the Congress would welcome her support. With Ms. Sumalatha remaining tight-lipped even after the BJP declared that it had ceded the seat to JD(S) as part of the seat-sharing arrangement, the possibility of her returning to the fray as an independent candidate again is not yet ruled out.

However, the Congress party is hoping for the entry of former Minister K.C. Narayana Gowda to the party fold.

Mr. Gowda, who had resigned as a JD(S) MLA representing K.R. Pet in Mandya along with 16 other Congress and JD* (S) MLAs in 2019 to trigger the collapse of the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government and paved the way for the installation of the BJP government in the State, has been clearly uncomfortable with the BJP-JD(S) tie up. He was among the few BJP leaders of Mandya, who had batted for Ms. Sumalatha’s candidature.

Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said Mr. Gowda is in “contact” with the Congress and expressed confidence that he and the supporters of late K.R. Pete Krishna will likely join the party soon. Mr. Gowda is believed to have already met senior Congress leaders in the State including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D.K. Shivakumar.