Bengaluru/ Mandya:  The candidature of Nikhil Kumaraswamy, actor and son of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, seems to be certain as even Congress Legislature Party leader Siddharamaiah said that the Congress would lend full support to JD(S) candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha seat.

Meanwhile, with his contest as the JD(S) candidate from Mandya guaranteed, Nikhil Kumaraswamy has taken a house on rent in Mandya. He has booked a duplex house at Marigowda Layout in Mandya. The house, which is said to be owned by one M.J. Chikkanna, a former JD(S) member of Mandya CMC, is a four-bedroom house facing northwards.

The two-storeyed house, said to be built as per Vaastu, also features a spacious hall and a puja room. The premise has a vast lawn and vehicle parking facility. Nikhil has expressed his desire to construct a farm house on a five-acre plot in the outskirts of Mandya. He made this announcement while promising the people that he will not leave Mandya after winning the polls.

Actress Sumalatha, who has declared that she was certainly going to contest the LS polls from Mandya, too has rounded off on a house. Sources said that Sumalatha will rent a house at Chamundeshwarinagar Third Cross in Mandya. In the past too, Sumalatha’s husband M.H. Ambarish had rented out this particular house and had seen many electoral victories.

Even this house is palatial and has been built as per Vaastu and it remains to be seen if this house will prove lucky for Sumalatha.

Ambarish had taken this house on rent after he was elected as a Congress MLA from Mandya in 2013 and even became a Minister in Siddharamaiah Cabinet. Later he had reportedly vacated the house last year after losing Minister’s post, just a few months before his death.

Sources said that Sumalatha had originally planned to build a house as people might suspect her intention if she rents out a house. Accordingly, her supporters were scouting for a plot at Bandigowda Layout or at Manjunathanagar. But sources said that Sumalatha had decided to rent a house as elections were close by and building a house at this stage may not be feasible.

Sumalatha, by staying in Mandya, wants to prove her commitment to the people of  Mandya and to nip rumours that she will return to Bengaluru and stay away from the constituency after elections.

Amidst all these developments, people of Mandya are not too happy about this ‘rented house’ politics, as in the past, actress Divya Spandana aka Ramya, had quietly vacated her house, which she had taken on rent when she contested and won as the Congress candidate from Mandya in 2013 Lok Sabha by-polls. Voters are angry with Ramya, who, following her defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, had vacated the bungalow near Sir M. Visvesvaraya Stadium, she had taken on rent.

Meanwhile, sources say that if Sumalatha contests as an independent, she could receive support from the district unit of the Congress, BJP, Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and other organizations who are against JD(S).

It is also said that cine actors including ‘mega star’ Chiranjeevi, Sandalwood actors Darshan, Yash, Prem, Duniya Vijay and others will campaign for her.

“If Sumalatha contests as an independent against the JD(S), then it will be a tough fight for the JD(S),” sources said.