Section of JD(S) workers in Channapatna oppose Kumaraswamy's likely move to contest from Mandya

The party's core committee leaders are likely to meet here on Tuesday to decide on the candidates for Kolar, Hassan and Mandya.

Published on: Mar 26, 2024, 11:10:27 IST

PTIPosted by Yamini C S

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Speculations within the JD(S) that its state President H D Kumaraswamy is likely to contest from the Mandya Lok Sabha segment, has led to opposition from a section of its workers in Channapatna Assembly constituency that he currently represents.

The party's core committee leaders are likely to meet here on Tuesday to decide on the candidates for Kolar, Hassan and Mandya, the three seats from where the regional party will be contesting, as part of the seat-sharing deal with the BJP.

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With speculation rife that Kumaraswamy is most likely to contest from Mandya, party workers and leaders from Channapatna met him on Monday and demanded that he should not "abandon them" and should continue to represent them in the Assembly.

However, JD(S) leaders and workers, and also a section of the BJP in Mandya want him to contest from the Lok Sabha segment, according to sources.

"...naturally there is a strong opinion among the party workers that Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy) should not leave Channapatna. Party supremo H D Deve Gowda is in Hassan, they (party leaders from Channapatna) will go and speak to him as well, give us some time (to decide)," Kumaraswamy's son and Yuva JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy said.

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Speaking to reporters here, he however did not wish to comment on a question about some party workers asking him to contest from the Mandya Lok Sabha seat instead and let Kumaraswamy continue as Channapatna MLA.

"Tomorrow, the core committee members have been called, after discussion there, the party leadership will decide on a future course of action....In old Mysuru region naturally there is a feeling that if Kumaranna contests in this Lok Sabha polls it will enthuse our cadre, similar is the feeling among BJP cadre. We will make a decision after discussions tomorrow," he added.

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Names of Nikhil Kumaraswamy and senior party leader and former MP C S Puttaraju were also doing the rounds as JD(S) candidate from Mandya. Multilingual actress turned-politician Sumalatha Ambareesh, an independent candidate backed by the BJP, had won the seat in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, by defeating JD(S)' Nikhil Kumaraswamy.

She had also sought a BJP ticket for re-election from the seat. However, BJP General Secretary in-charge of elections in Karnataka, Dr Radha Mohan Das Agarwal on Saturday said the JD(S) would contest from Mandya, Hassan and Kolar Lok Sabha constituencies.

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

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