Karnataka Assembly bypolls: Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy on Thursday (October 24) was named as the NDA candidate for the November 13 Assembly by-polls from Channapatna. The seat was vacated by his father and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy after being elected to Lok Sabha.
Kumaraswamy conducted a series of meetings with party workers and leaders, particularly from Channapatna, over the past few days before finalising Nikhil's candidacy. A crucial meeting with alliance partner BJP was also held at the residence of senior leader B S Yediyurappa on Thursday, after which Nikhil's name was officially announced.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy NDA candidate for Channapatna
"We announce Nikhil Kumaraswamy as NDA candidate for Channapatna bypolls...hundred percent he will win. Together we will tour Channapatna and he (Nikhil) will win with a big margin," Yediyurappa told reporters, flanked by Kumaraswamy, Nikhil and other BJP-JD(S) leaders.
It is said that Kumaraswamy was under a dilemma, as Nikhil was not keen on contesting but buckled under pressure from party workers. Nikhil had said he was in favour of the party fielding a local JD(S) worker or a leader as a candidate.
C P Yogeeshwara vs Nikhil Kumaraswamy
The 36-year-old is set to contest against five-time MLA and former Minister C P Yogeeshwara, who recently switched allegiance to the Congress after resigning from the BJP on Wednesday.
Nikhi's mother Anitha Kumaraswamy, a former MLA, had unsuccessfully contested from the seat in 2013 and faced defeat against Yogeeshwara, a political heavyweight in the constituency. With Yogeeshwara joining Congress to contest the Channapatna bypoll, pressure was mounting on Kumaraswamy from party workers and leaders to field Nikhil.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy electoral battles
This marks the third electoral contest for actor-turned-politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy, grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda. Nikhil previously faced defeat in the 2023 Assembly election from the neighbouring Ramanagara constituency, a seat historically significant for his family, having been held by both his parents and associated with his grandfather's rise to the Chief Minister’s office.
He earlier had a disastrous electoral debut when he had lost to BJP-backed independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 polls.
Karnataka Assembly bypolls
The three seats going for by-poll are Channapatna, Shiggaon and Sandur (ST). As per the Election Commission, the polling at these three seats will be held on November 13, while counting of votes will take place on November 23.
In Channapatna, the by-election follows the resignation of the sitting MLA HD Kumaraswamy, while in Shiggaon and Sandur, vacancies have arisen due to the resignations of Basavaraj Bommai and E Tukaram respectively. The Election Commission has emphasised the need for a free and fair electoral process in the upcoming by-polls.
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