Actor-turned-politician Sumalatha Ambareesh in a file photo. Pic: X/@sumalathaA
Karnataka: BJP in a fix as both Sumalatha and JD(S) want Mandya seat
Sitting MP Sumalatha may contest as Independent in Mandya if BJP denies her the seat; JD(S) wants the constituency, too, as it's a Vokkaliga bastion
Of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka, it is the Mandya seat that is posing a huge challenge, especially for the BJP and JD(S) alliance. Aligning with the JD(S) appears to have landed the BJP in a fix, where this seat is concerned. Else, the saffron party could have supported actor-turned-politician Sumalatha Ambareesh, who backs the BJP and NDA at the Centre.
But, with the JD(S) claiming Mandya as its ‘pound of flesh’ in the seat-sharing talks (which is in the final stages) and Sumalatha refusing to compromise with any kind of seat swapping, BJP is now in a bit of a soup.
Even as the BJP is dreaming of retaining its 2019 tally of 25 seats in Karnataka, much trouble now looms in the Mandya seat. The district, known as the sugar bowl of Karnataka, is a Vokkaliga bastion.
JD(S) makes it claim on Mandya
Recently, former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy held a meeting of his followers in Mandya. After that, JD(S) spokesperson DC Thammanna told the media that Mandya is a JD(S) bastion and there is no question of sacrificing that seat for ‘anybody’.
He added that there are many eligible candidates in the JD(S) and there is every possibility HDK himself will stand from Mandya, as pressure is mounting on him to contest in the polls.
BJP sources told The Federal that with talks between alliance partners BJP and JD(S) having reached the final stages, HDK may contest either from Chikkaballapur or from Mandya. A one-term MP elected from Bengaluru Rural in 2009, Kumaraswamy lost to Congress’s Veerappa Moily in 2014 from Chikkaballapur.
Alternative seats
If the JD(S) gets Mandya, the BJP will be forced to find another seat for Sumalatha, which will also have to be a Vokkaliga bastion.
According to BJP sources, party leaders are also rethinking fielding Sumalatha from Mandya because they believe she has lost her popularity in the constituency.
To placate her, though, the BJP high command is planning to give Sumalatha the Bengaluru Rural LS seat, where she has to fight sitting Congress MP DK Suresh. Alternatively, she may get Bengaluru North, currently represented by top BJP leader and former Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda.
Keen on Mandya
Sources close to Sumalatha, however, insisted that she will contest only from Mandya. If the BJP refuses to give her that seat, Sumalatha will be forced to contest as an Independent from Mandya, they added.
Meanwhile, Sumalatha has categorically denied speculations about contesting either from Bengaluru North or Bengaluru Rural. Speaking to media persons, she said Kannada star actor Darshan, who is a native of Mandya, would back her bid for the seat again, just as he did in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
She also said: "I am confident of winning from any constituency including Bengaluru North. But, I don’t want to lose Mandya because it is the native district of my husband Ambareesh."
A forgotten constituency
Now, the million-dollar question is whether Sumalatha has lost her popularity in her constituency. The leader, who sought a mandate on the swabhimana (self-esteem) plank and won by a huge margin of 1.25 lakh votes in 2019, is said to have slowly lost her popularity in the constituency.
The secret of her victory back then was the support extended by the Congress discretely and the support of the RSS and BJP cadre to defeat the JD(S) candidate.
Mandya voters, however, seem to be unhappy with her now. They accuse Sumalatha of forgetting the constituency after getting elected and not residing in Mandya as promised. They have branded her a ‘visiting MP’.
Will the self-esteem card work again?
“After winning, she promised to hold a ‘Thanksgiving Convention’ in Mandya. She did not keep her promise,” complained Rani Rudresh of Alakere village in Mandya taluk. Natives are criticising her for not building a workers’ base and depending only on her coterie comprising Doddanna, Darshan, Rockline Venkatesh, and others.
"Except for a few members of the Ambareesh Fans Association, no one is pressing the BJP to offer her a ticket,” pointed out Raje Gowda, of Doddarasinakere village, Ambareesh's birthplace.
But Sumalatha claims there is immense pressure from her supporters to contest from Mandya and she is also emotionally attached to the constituency. She is sure of retaining her seat if she contests as a BJP candidate, she has reiterated.
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