Sumalatha Ambareesh, the incumbent MP of Karnataka’s hot seat Mandya, is all set to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Sumalatha won as an independent candidate from Mandya in 2019 and has been vocally lending her support to the saffron party in the state for a while now. The BJP did not field any candidate against Sumalatha in Mandya in 2019.
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The BJP, which is in alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka, has allotted Mandya seat to former CM and JD(S) second-in-chief HD Kumaraswamy. Ever since the name of Kumaraswamy was announced, the supporters of Sumalatha Ambareesh have been wondering whether she will contest once again as an independent or step away from the polls. However, with her latest decision to join the BJP, it is clarified that she will not be in the poll race and will lend her support to Kumaraswamy.
In 2019, Sumalatha Ambareesh defeated Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is the son of HD Kumaraswamy, in Mandya and won as an independent candidate. After the demise of actor-turned-politician Ambareesh in 2018, his wife, Sumalatha Ambareesh, entered into electoral politics and contested from Mandya.
Mandya. The heartland of Vokkaligas was the home turf of the former Prime Minister HD Devegowda’s family, but in the recent assembly elections, the JD(S) did not perform up to the mark in the old Mysuru region. The vote bank has evidently tilted towards the Congress party, with DK Shivakumar as its primary Vokkaliga face. The Congress has now fielded Venkataramana Gowda, popularly known as Star Chandru from Mandya, against the BJP-JDS. Star Chandru is a close associate of DK Shivakumar, and it is expected to be an exciting fight in the South Karnataka region.
The Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7 for 28 constituencies.
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