With none from JD(S) first family to contest from Mandya

Bengaluru: While independent Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambarish has been making rounds to Delhi and meeting top BJP national leaders, expressing her intent to contest on a BJP ticket from Mandya, former PM and JD(S) Supremo H.D. Deve Gowda held a meeting with the party’s top brass to discuss the possible candidate.

It is a known fact that JD(S), having a strong base in Mandya, will want to field its candidate from Mandya. The party, which has officially joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), has demanded the Mandya seat as part of its seat-sharing pact for the upcoming polls.

However, the final decision on seat sharing is yet to be made official. Meanwhile, former PM H.D. Deve Gowda has indirectly sent a message to the BJP High Command about his party’s intent to contest from Mandya Lok Sabha Constituency.

The meeting, held in Bengaluru yesterday, was attended by JD(S) Core Committee President and Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda, JD(S) Youth Wing President Nikhil Kumaraswamy, former Ministers C.S. Puttaraju, D.C. Thammanna, MLA H.T. Manjunath, former MLA Ravindra Srikanthaiah, Suresh Gowda, and Dr. Annadani, former MLC K.T. Srikantegowda and Mandya District JD(S) President Ramesh.

Deve Gowda also collected vital information from the local leaders during which former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy (HDK), who has been touring the Mandya district, also shared some information. The leaders, who have been insisting on fielding a candidate from the Deve Gowda family, especially Nikhil Kumaraswamy or H.D. Kumaraswamy, expressed confidence about the party candidate’s victory.

However, sources said that if none from the Deve Gowda family were interested in contesting, former Minister C.S. Puttaraju, who had earlier represented the Mandya seat between 2014 and 2018, would be an ideal candidate.

The JD(S) patriarch seems to have also instructed the leaders to ensure the previous Lok Sabha election result was not repeated when the JD(S) candidate was defeated despite having an election pact with the Congress party.

Nikhil not to contest, HDK reluctant

Nikhil has already expressed his desire not to contest and former CM Kumaraswamy has also told the media persons about his disinterest in going to Delhi.

With both leaders not interested in contesting, it is almost certain that Puttaraju would be the party’s candidate.

Later, speaking to the media persons, H.D. Deve Gowda said: “Nikhil will not contest since he will be touring the State for the election campaign and Kumaraswamy will decide on his contesting. Meanwhile, none from the family will be contesting from Mandya. However, the candidate will be announced in the next meeting,” he said.

‘Star’ Chandru to contest on Congress ticket?

Meanwhile, the Congress party seems to have finalised the candidature of industrialist ‘Star’ Chandru (Venkataramane Gowda) from Mandya at a meeting headed by Agriculture and Mandya District in-Charge Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy at a private hotel yesterday. Chandru, a native of Nagamangala, is the brother of Gowribidanur Independent MLA Puttaswamy Gowda and a relative of Chikkaballapur MP B.N. Bacchegowda.

MLAs Ravikumar (Ganiga), P.M. Narendraswamy, Darshan Puttannaiah, Kadalur M. Uday, Ramesh Babu Bandisiddegowda, K. Harishgowda, MLCs Dinesh Gooligowda, Madhu G. Madegowda and others  were present.