Pandavapura: Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRSS) leader Sunitha Puttannaiah, wife of late farmer-leader K.S. Puttannaiah, thanked workers of the Sangha and members of all progressive organisations for electing independent candidate Sumalatha Ambarish from Mandya Parliamentary constituency with a record margin of votes.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference held in the town yesterday, she complimented Sumalatha for the magnificent victory over JD(S)-Congress coalition candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy with a huge margin of more than 1.25 lakh votes. She also thanked voters of Melukote Assembly segment for giving more than 15,000 lead votes to Sumalatha.

She demanded the newly-elected MP to work for the welfare of farmers besides to strive hard for rejuvenation of MySugar Factory and to restart the Pandavapura Sahakara Sakkare Kharkhane (PSSK) without allowing privatisation.

“Both the factories are the lifeline of the region. Sumalatha must protect the interests of sugarcane growers of the district. The Government must also open the sugarcane factories by the end of June and start crushing sugarcane in the larger interest of the farmers,” she added.      

Sunitha Puttannaiah also urged Sumalatha to fight illegal stone mining around KRS Dam which is still rampant in Baby Betta Amruth Kaval area in the taluk despite a blanket ban on such activities. The District Administration must stop all illegal stone quarrying around KRS Dam, she said.   

She also wanted her to get water released to canals to save standing sugarcane and paddy crops as it has been withering after the stoppage of water to the canals from the KRS Dam.

Raitha Sangha President A.L. Kempugowda, Raitha Sangha leaders K.T. Govindegowda, Nagaraj, K.S. Dayanand, Muralidhar, Manjunath, Town Municipal Council Member Partha, Ashok, H.L. Prakash, Engineer Yogesh, Gopal, Prabhakar and others were present at the press meet.

Swabhimaani victory rally on May 29

Sumalatha Ambarish said that the birth anniversary celebrations of her husband and late actor-turned politician M.H. Ambarish and Swabhimaani victory rally will be held on May 29 in Mandya in the presence of the late actor’s fans and a large gathering of self-respecting people of the constituency.

Speaking to reporters, after offering puja to Ambarish’s Samadhi at Kanteerava Studios in Bengaluru on account of his sixth-month death ceremony    yesterday, she said that sandalwood actor Darshan, Yash and other supporters who worked hard for her victory will also be present in the rally.

Replying to a query on her victory as the first lady independent candidate from the State after 52 years, she dedicated her victory to self-respecting people of Mandya and thanked the voters of her constituency for creating a history of sorts.

She said that people elected her despite JD(S) humiliated her during electioneering and Congress dumping her by denying ticket to contest. “Now, I have a great responsibility of keeping their (people) promise and faith reposed on me”, she said.

Sumalatha further said that she was expecting a landslide victory after coming to know that more than 50 percent of women voters exercised their rights.