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The BJP and JDS have decided to contest Lok Sabha elections together. The JDS might contest on three seats and the BJP on 25. Sumalatha is eyeing a BJP ticket from Mandya constituency.
Sumalatha Ambareesh with BJP president JP Nadda. (File)
Bengaluru: Independent Lok Sabha MP from Mandya, Sumalatha Ambareesh is in Delhi to meet BJP president JP Nadda. Sumalatha is eyeing a BJP ticket from Mandya, but as part of the seat-sharing agreement between the BJP and JDS, the seat might go into the regional party’s kitty. According to reports, the BJP high command has summoned Sumalatha to Delhi to make an alternative offer to her.
Since Sumalatha extended her support to the BJP during the Assembly elections last year, she was confident of getting a ticket from Mandya. But, her calculation changed in September 2023 when JDS joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Even though Mandya is considered a stronghold of the JDS, Sumalatha had expressed hope that the BJP might retain the seat. JDS leaders HD Kumaraswamy among others on Saturday met Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP is said to have agreed to give up three seats- Hassan, Mandya and Kolar to the HD Deve Gowda-led party.
Before the official announcement, the BJP approached Sumalatha to pacify her to support the JDS candidate in Mandya.
Sumalatha to contest from Chikkaballapura?
According to reports, the BJP high command might offer Sumalatha a ticket from Chikkaballapura or a Rajya Sabha ticket.
However, Sumalatha has already made it clear that she would not contest elections from anywhere else except in Mandya. She has also not ruled out contesting as an independent if the BJP fails to give her a ticket. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Sumalatha defeated JDS candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy in a bitterly fought election.
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