It's official: HD Kumaraswamy to contest from Mandya

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy decided on Tuesday that he will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Mandya, raising the stakes in the JD(S)' fight for survival.

"My candidature will be announced officially in Mysuru on Wednesday," Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) state president, told DH.

Kumaraswamy will be up against Congress' Venkataramane Gowda (Star Chandru) in the Vokkaliga bastion.

"I discussed (my candidature) for two days with party workers and leaders of Mandya as well as Channapatna (where I'm the MLA) before deciding," Kumaraswamy said. His candidature was also discussed at length at the party's core committee meeting during the day.

Kumaraswamy said he is contesting the Lok Sabha polls to secure the future of his party. "We've hit rock bottom and we need to rise up," he said.

Kumaraswamy said there was tremendous pressure on him from party workers to contest in Mandya. Even the BJP top brass wanted him in the fray. Kumaraswamy has contested Lok Sabha elections in 1996, 1998 and 2014.

The JD(S) also formalised the re-nomination of sitting Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna.

JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's son (Kumaraswamy), grandson (Prajwal) and son-in-law (Dr CN Manjunath) are in the poll fray this time.

"What to do? People (of Mandya) aren't letting (Kumaraswamy) go. They want him to contest," Gowda said.

In Kolar, the JD(S) has finalised defeated Bangarpet MLA candidate Mallesh Babu. However, this could change depending on who the Congress' candidate will be.

The BJP has ceded Mandya, Hassan and Kolar to the JD(S) as part of their seat-sharing arrangement.

Kumaraswamy is looking to avenge the defeat of his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the 2019 Mandya Lok Sabha polls. He was defeated by BJP-backed Independent Sumalatha Ambareesh, who is said to have also received tacit support from Congress, which was then in alliance with JD(S).

Asked about Sumalatha being upset, Kumaraswamy said: "Everything will be sorted out."

In all likelihood, Kumaraswamy will have a tough fight as Congress holds six out of eight Assembly segments in Mandya. "But in five Assembly segments where the JD(S) lost, the margin is just 3,000 votes," he pointed out, underlining the support his party enjoys on the ground.

The option of fielding Nikhil again was rejected after he declined to contest, having lost two elections back-to-back (he lost the Assembly polls last year). Former Mandya MP C S Puttaraju was another option, but he was deemed not winnable.

Given the need for him to campaign in other seats, Kumaraswamy said he will cover three taluks per day. "It's my responsibility to win all 28 constituencies, including the three three where JD(S) is contesting," he said. "Some constituencies required just a visit. The rest will be taken care of by our party workers."