It’s Dr C N Manjunath vs D K Suresh in B’lore Rural

Noted cardiac surgeon Dr C N Manjunath, who is JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda’s son-in-law, has agreed to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections after senior leaders of the regional party convinced him on Monday to take the poll plunge. 

Manjunath, who is credited with transforming the state-owned Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences that he headed for 17 years, is expected to contest from Bangalore Rural against Congress’ incumbent MP D K Suresh, brother of Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar. 

The party on whose ticket Manjunath will contest - BJP or JD(S) - may be decided at a meeting attended by the saffron party’s national leaders on Tuesday or Wednesday.

That Manjunath must contest was decided at a meeting in the residence of JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy, a former chief minister. Senior JD(S) leaders from Ramanagara and Bangalore Rural were present.  

In a statement, Kumaraswamy said he spent two hours on Sunday convincing Deve Gowda of the need to field Manjunath. Recently, Gowda had publicly advised Manjunath not to enter politics. 

According to Kumaraswamy, his sister (Manjunath’s wife) is not happy with her husband entering politics.

“My sister is shedding tears, asking why they’re being dragged into politics and that they’re happy currently. But we must defeat our enemies. That’s my aim,” he said. 

Kumaraswamy said it is the BJP that is particular about Manjunath. “I had proposed (BJP leader) C P Yogeshwar’s name as the NDA candidate. But Yogeshwar himself pitched for Manjunath. We need to respect the opinion of our alliance partner,” he said. 

The JD(S) state president slammed Congress leaders for commenting on Dr Manjunath’s proposed candidature.

“Manjunath has earned popularity in the healthcare sector and has saved thousands of poor people’s lives. If such a person gets elected, he can serve the entire country. Congress leaders speaking lightly about him should know this,” he said.

According to JD(S) sources, Kumaraswamy may head to Delhi on Tuesday or Wednesday to finalise candidates and seat-sharing with the BJP.