Mandya: Emotions ran high at the JD(S) party workers meeting held at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Bhavan here on Friday last to discuss the selection of candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha election as the workers demanded former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy (HDK) to field Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Mandya Constituency.

Having entered into an electoral pact with the BJP, the JD(S) is said to have been allocated three seats — Mandya, Hassan and Kolar (SC) — for which the party is yet to announce its candidates. Friday’s meeting witnessed party workers demanding either HDK  to contest the polls or field his son. The emotions were so high that the workers did not allow any leaders to speak demanding to announce the candidate immediately. HDK, who intervened, assured workers of not disappointing them which brought a sense of relief among them and cooled the situation down.

Later, addressing Party workers, Kumaraswamy said that the ensuing Lok Sabha election was the right time for the JD(S) party to bounce back and added that he would not hurt the feelings of workers and would speak to Nikhil on contesting the polls.

“I will be leaving to Chennai for a heart operation on Mar. 19 and would return after resting for a couple of days. An announcement regarding the candidate will be made on Mar. 24 taking into account the suggestions given by the party workers,” he said.

Stating that the people of Mandya have come to the rescue of JD(S) at times when the party was in distress, HDK said that it was because of the political plot that Nikhil had lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election and not because of the people. “It is Mandya which has given the party and H.D. Deve Gowda political power more than Hassan. I am confident that the people of Mandya will bless the party in the ensuing elections keeping aside the previously committed mistakes,” said the former CM.

Sumalatha is my elder sister

In an attempt to seek the support of current Mandya MP Sumalatha’s support, HDK said Sumalatha was like his elder sister and added it was time to move together forgetting the past. “Ambareesh was a close friend of mine. When the Congress denied him the ticket in 1996, it was JD(S) which issued him the ticket from Mandya Lok Sabha Constituency. And at the time when both Dr. Rajkumar and Ambareesh passed away, it was I as the Chief Minister who provided space for their memorials at the Kanteerava Studio,” he added. Kumaraswamy also mentioned that people, who are making comments against his family and Bangalore Rural Constituency candidate Dr. C.N. Manjunath, will be taught a lesson in the upcoming election.

JD(S) Core Committee President and Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda,  JD(S) Youth Wing President Nikhil Kumaraswamy, MLA H.T. Manju, former Legislators C.S. Puttaraju, D.C. Thamanna, Dr. Annadani, K. Suresh Gowda, Ravindra Srikantaiah, K.T. Srikantegowda and G.B. Shivakumar, JD(S) District President D. Ramesh and others were present.