Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday described JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy as a “new face” to the people of Mandya from where he has been chosen as the BJP-JD(S) combine’s candidate for the Lok Sabha election.
Fielding reporters’ queries on Mr. Kumaraswamy’s candidature from Mandya, Mr. Siddaramaiah told reporters in Mysuru that the JD(S) leader would surely face a rout in the election as the Congress had fielded a strong local candidate Venkatarame Gowda, also known as ‘Star Chandru’.
When reporters said Mr. Kumaraswamy was considering Mandya as his ‘Karma Bhoomi’, Mr. Siddaramaiah drew attention to the loss suffered by the JD(S) leader’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Mandya. Though Mr. Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister of the State in 2019 when the Lok Sabha polls were held, he was unable to secure the victory of his son. “How will he win now? He will surely lose,” said Mr. Siddaramaiah.
The Chief Minister said Mr. Venkatarame Gowda was a local leader hailing from Nagamangala in Mandya whereas Mr. Kumaraswamy was a native of Hassan district.
When asked if the Congress stood to benefit from the disappointment that incumbent MP, Sumalatha Ambareesh, felt over the denial of the BJP ticket to her, Mr. Siddaramaiah said he had not spoken to her but expressed confidence that the Congress candidate was strong enough to defeat the BJP-JD(S) alliance’s candidate.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Siddaramaiah returned to Mysuru after a three-day-long stay in a private resort in H.D. Kote near here.
During his stay in the resort, Mr. Siddaramaiah said he took a rest while also meeting people who had come to see him. Minister for Social Welfare H.C. Mahadevappa, also Minister in charge of Mysuru district, and Minister for Animal Husbandry K. Venkatesh, who is also Minister in charge of Chamarajanagar district, accompanied Mr. Siddaramaiah in the resort.
The former Minister M. Shivanna, who was to return to the Congress fold, was among the people who visited Mr. Siddaramaiah at the resort.
To a question, Mr. Siddaramaiah said the Congress was poised to win the Mysuru as well as Chamarajanagar Lok Sabha constituencies in the region.
While M. Lakshman has been announced as the Congress candidate for Mysuru, Social Welfare Minister H.C Mahadevappa’s son Sunil Bose is expected to be announced as the party candidate for Chamarajanagar, he said.
To another question, Mr. Siddaramaiah said he was aware of the developments concerning the announcement of the party candidate for the Kolar Lok Sabha seat. He said he had spoken to the disgruntled party leaders to remain calm in the matter as it would be amicably resolved.
