Mandya Lok Sabha constituency is one of the seats in Karnataka. JD(S) leader and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy is contesting from the Mandya seat under the NDA seat-sharing deal with Bharatiya Janata Party.
The seat belongs to Sumalatha, who recently joined the BJP. Multilingual actress turned-politician Sumalatha, 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, she was denied a ticket from Mandya as the seat went to JD(S)'s kitty.
Mandya Lok Sabha candidates 2024
JD(S) fielded its top leader HD Kumaraswamy against Congress candidate Venkataramane Gowda. Sumalatha's support for Kumaraswamy boosts his chance in the constituency. Kumaraswamy on April 4 filed his nomination from Mandya. He was accompanied by BJP veteran B S Yediyurappa, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and party candidate from neighbouring Mysuru and scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar.
Congress candidate Venkataramane Gowda
On the other hand, Mandya Congress candidate for Lok Sabha elections, Venkataramane Gowda, also known as 'Star Chandru', and his wife Kusuma have declared assets worth Rs 622.96 crore. According to the affidavit he filed on Monday along with the nomination, Gowda's wife is richer than him.
Section of JD(S) workers oppose Kumaraswamy's move
Kumaraswamy's shifting to contest the Mandya Lok Sabha segment led to opposition from a section of its workers in Channapatna Assembly constituency that he currently represents. Several party workers and leaders from Channapatna met him and demanded that he should not "abandon them" and should continue to represent them in the Assembly.
Date of voting in Mandya Lok Sabha elections
The voting for the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka will take place in the second and third phases of polling on April 26 and May 7. Mandya Lok Sabha constituency will vote on April 26.
