With its lush green fields of paddy and sugarcane, Mandya, located in the Cauvery basin in south Karnataka, paints a placid picture. But, the electoral battle in the Vokkaliga heartland between two prominent Vokkaliga political families has ensured that Mandya will be anything but calm during the Lok Sabha elections. The fight is between veteran actor Sumalatha, wife of the late Congress leader and Kannada superstar Ambareesh, and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil.
Sumalatha, 55, is contesting as an independent after her request for a Congress ticket was denied. The Congress gave the seat to its alliance partner, the Janata Dal (Secular), which has put up 31-year-old Nikhil, an up-and-coming actor. Sumalatha has received support from the film fraternity, especially Ambareesh’s close confidant, producer Rockline Venkatesh, and actors Darshan and Yash, both Vokkaligas. Kumaraswamy, who himself has been a film producer and distributor, thinks the growing tiff with the industry will affect Nikhil’s prospects.
The BJP has announced its support for Sumalatha. More trouble awaits Nikhil as Congress workers are reluctant to work for him. They are upset by the party’s decision to cede Mandya, once a Congress stronghold, to the JD(S). Local JD(S) leaders and workers are angry that Nikhil, a political greenhorn, has been foisted upon them. Shambunahalli Suresh of the Raitha Sangha said the decision to give the seat to Nikhil showed the sheer opportunism of the Deve Gowda family. “Deve Gowda does not trust anybody. So, he brings in his family members,” he said.
JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda is worried that the Congress is playing a double game in Mandya. The JD(S) had engineered a mass mobilisation of the Vokkaligas against the Congress in the assembly elections last year, leading to the defeat of all eight Congress candidates in the district, and chief minister Siddaramaiah in the neighbouring Mysuru district (Chamundeshwari). Deve Gowda fears that the Congress will return the favour by ensuring Nikhil’s defeat in the Lok Sabha polls. Seven local Congress leaders were recently expelled from the party for working against Nikhil. The Congress leadership, however, expressed optimism that Nikhil would win. “Nikhil’s name was proposed by the people and local JD(S) leaders and cadres,” said district Congress president D. Ramesh. “The ones supporting Sumalatha are inconsequential.”
Sumalatha, meanwhile, is banking on the support of Ambareesh fans, disgruntled Congress leaders, political parties like Swaraj India and organisations like the Raitha Sangha. The BJP support is a big plus. Ambareesh had won thrice from Mandya—once on a JD(S) ticket and twice as a Congress candidate. The sympathy wave following his death is powering Sumalatha’s campaign. Attempts to label her as an “outsider” and the misogynistic barbs aimed at her have only added to her popularity.
On March 20, the day she filed her nomination, Sumalatha addressed a massive public rally, striking an emotional chord with the people. “My husband never asked for any favours from anybody. But today, I ask you all to stand by me as I am here to realise the unfulfilled dreams of your Ambareesh for Mandya,” said a teary-eyed Sumalatha. Women sobbed and men nodded apologetically when she narrated the ordeal she had to face after Ambareesh’s demise.
Sumalatha has dropped enough hints that she has the covert backing of the Congress. “I sought a Congress ticket as Ambareesh was with the Congress. But they refused. I feel the Congress should have put up a candidate as the party is facing an existential crisis. So, when the followers of Ambareesh approached me, it was my duty to respond,” she said.
Nikhil filed his nomination on March 25. He was accompanied by his mother Anitha, who is the MLA from Ramanagara, his uncle and PWD Minister H.D. Revanna and Minor Irrigation Minister C.S. Puttaraju from the JD(S) and Irrigation Minister D.K. Shivakumar from the Congress. At the massive roadshow that followed, Kumaraswamy and Shivakumar, both Vokkaliga strongmen, held hands to show the community that they were united.
The JD(S) swept Mandya in the assembly elections in 2018 because there was a Vokkaliga consolidation in Kumaraswamy’s favour. But that is unlikely this time around. Moreover, a majority of the Ahinda (minorities, dalits and backward classes) votes would swing towards Sumalatha, according to Sandesh, president of Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Forum. “With the BJP extending support to Sumalatha, Lingayats, Brahmins and Jains will also back her,” he said.
A worried Kumaraswamy has been holding closed door meetings with leaders and cadres, trying to win back Congress rebels. Anitha is visiting local leaders and community elders along with Nikhil. The mother-son duo is also addressing the youth and holding roadshows. Nikhil’s campaign has evoked mixed response from the voters. While JD(S) strongholds have welcomed him, there has been criticism that he is an outsider. Nikhil defended his candidature saying he had been working for the party over the years.
“I was chosen by party MLAs, MLCs and local leaders who recognised my hard work,” said Nikhil. “When my father contested Lok Sabha elections for the first time in 1996, everybody knew him only as the son of Deve Gowda. But his hard work and his ability to connect with the people saw him grow to be the chief minister of the state. I, too, seek the blessings of the people to prove my abilities,” he said.
The JD(S) has allegedly fielded at least three Sumalatha namesakes.
Sumalatha said Kumaraswamy misused his power to ensure that Nikhil got the first slot on the voting machine, while she was at number 20, “mischievously placed between the namesakes”. She has demanded a probe about Nikhil’s nomination form, citing discrepancies.
Nikhil said he was seeking votes for development, based on the work done by his father and the coalition government. “I promise you, I will work for you till my last breath,” said Nikhil. “I don’t need to be an MP to show off or enjoy power. I want to serve the people of Mandya.”