Independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh to join BJP today

The actor-turned-politician had won the 2019 general elections with the support of the BJP, defeating H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy.

Published on: Apr 5, 2024, 12:04:45 IST

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Mandya's independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh has announced she would join the BJP on Friday.

Sumalatha Ambareesh said she would not contest the coming Lok Sabha elections. (ANI)

The actor-turned-politician had won the 2019 general elections with the support of the BJP, defeating former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda’s grandson and H D Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy.

ALSO READ | Former CM Kumaraswamy, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya file nominations for LS polls

Sumalatha said on Wednesday she would not contest the coming Lok Sabha elections and would join the BJP.

In a post on ‘X’ on Thursday, she said she had declared that she would support the BJP for the development of Mandya and also to see Narendra Modi becoming Prime Minister again.

ALSO READ | MP Sumalatha to join BJP, won’t contest Lok Sabha polls

“Accordingly, I am officially joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of BJP leaders on Friday April 5, 2024 at 11.30 am at the Bharatiya Janata Party office in Bengaluru,” she said.

ALSO READ | Karnataka's Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh to join BJP ahead of Lok Sabha polls

JD(S) joined the NDA in September last year. As part of the seat-sharing arrangement in Karnataka, the BJP would contest in 25 constituencies and the JDS the remaining three, including Mandya, from where former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has entered the fray.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More