H D Kumaraswamy reaches out to Sumalatha; Vishwanath snubs Sudhakar

Bengaluru: BJP leader and Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha candidate Dr K Sudhakar and JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday reached out to their rivals to smoothen poll wrinkles triggered by the tension over tickets.

The outcome was disappointing for Sudhakar, who bested Yelahanka MLA S R Vishwanath in the race for the Chikkaballapur ticket. Vishwanath refused to meet Sudhakar, a clear sign that the former is still smarting after the loss. 

In Mandya, JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy reached out to Sumalatha Ambareesh, who will make her final decision on April 3. Here, Kumaraswamy received a warm welcome and made the right noises, though he didn’t reveal what exactly transpired. 

Kumaraswamy said he will file his nominations from Mandya on April 4 after Sumalatha, the outgoing MP, conveys her ‘final decision’. 

In 2019, Sumalatha caused an upset after she triumphed against Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil, with the support of the BJP and tacit support of the Congress, with the demoralising defeat souring the relations between the two leaders. 

But much water has flown under the bridge since then. Now, the JD(S), battling an existential crisis, has embraced the BJP and Kumaraswamy is the NDA candidate from Mandya. Sumalatha is set to lose the seat. 

But the optics were right in Mandya on Sunday.

Kumaraswamy received a warm welcome from Sumalatha’s son, Abhishek, and her close friend Rockline Venkatesh along with their supporters.

Political observers interpreted the ‘cordial welcome’ by the son as a sign of rapprochement between two warring families.   

Kumaraswamy said it was a preliminary meeting and he had come to seek his “elder sister’s (Sumalatha) support” for his candidature.

“We discussed various issues and we had fruitful discussions on several issues, which can’t be revealed in public for obvious reasons.  She has not made demands as such with me,” he said.

Sumalatha said a final decision will only be made after consulting with the people of Mandya, supporters of Ambareesh and her well-wishers. 

“I was a political novice then and knew nothing about politics. After seeing many ups and downs in the last five years, I am well equipped to handle certain issues better than in 2019,” she said.

Mess in Yelahanka

Disgruntled BJP MLA S R Vishwanath refused to meet Chikkaballapur candidate K Sudhakar despite the latter waiting in front of the MLA’s house for more than 45 minutes. 

Yelahanka is part of the Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha segment and has about 4.5 lakh voters. Vishawanth has won the seat since 2008 and, therefore, his support is crucial for the BJP to retain the seat. 

“Politics is not a bed of roses and the path to success is filled with lots of challenges,” said Sudhakar after the latest snub.

“There are many ups and downs one will have to face. Though we never crossed each other’s paths, this time he was also an aspirant for
the ticket, so he might be upset.”

Sudhakar pointed out that he had been trying to meet Vishwanath for the past one week. He said “campaigning in Yelahanka has not commenced due to his (Vishwanath’s) unavailability”. 

Sudhakar has now pinned his hopes on Union Home Minister Amit Shah
who is coming to the city on April 2. 

Quote - We discussed various issues and we had fruitful discussion on several issues which can't be revealed in public for obvious reasons.  She has not made demands as such with me - H D Kumaraswamy JD(S) state president

Quote - Politics is not a bed of roses and the path to success is filled with lots of challenges. There are many ups and downs one will have to face. Though we never crossed each other’s paths this time he was also an aspirant for the ticket so he might be upset - Dr K Sudhakar BJP candidate from Chikkaballapur