Bengaluru: Renowned Cardiologist and former Director of Bengaluru-based Jayadeva Institute of Cardiological Sciences, Dr. C.N. Manjunath will contest as the BJP-JD(S) coalition candidate from Bengaluru Rural Constituency in the forthcoming LS polls. He will take on sitting Congress MP D.K. Suresh, who is being fielded again by the Congress.

Announcing the decision to field Dr. C.N. Manjunath at a party workers meeting at Ramanagara yesterday, JD(S) State President and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said that it was inevitable for the party to field a strong candidate to take on D.K. Suresh, who has created a fiefdom of sorts in the Constituency.

Maintaining that even the top brass of the BJP, with which the JD(S) has aligned to become part of the NDA (National Democratic Alliance), has asked him to field Dr. Manjunath from the Constituency, Kumaraswamy said though he had initially thought of supporting the candidature of C.P. Yogeshwar, now he too has indicated the name of Dr. Manjunath.

Hence Dr. Manjunath will be an obvious choice for the NDA coalition for Bengaluru Rural Constituency, he said and called upon his party workers to shun any differences and  work unitedly with the BJP for ensuring the defeat of the Congress in the LS polls.