Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Wednesday hinted at possibly contesting the Channapatna Assembly by-election and said he had to repay his “debt” to the people of his constituency.
Shivakumar, who won from Kanakapura in the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, dropped the hint during his tour of the Channapatna Assembly seat. Though the Election Commission is yet to announce it, a by-election is necessitated as former chief minister and state legislator from Channapatna, HD Kumaraswamy, has switched to being the MP from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, leaving the seat vacant. Kumaraswamy is currently the Union Minister for Heavy Industries.
Shivakumar’s brother DK Suresh said, House of Representatives elections In the by-election, Dr CN Manjunath, who hails from Bengaluru region, will be taking on the BJP-JD(S) candidate.
However, during his tour of the Assembly hall, Shivakumar said, “Chanapatna is in my heart. It was part of the Sathanur Assembly constituency which I once represented. My political career began from there. The people of Channapatna supported me during tough times. I have to give back to them.”
“I have an opportunity to develop Channapatna the same way we developed Kanakapura. I have been visiting temples in the constituency and talking to local leaders and voters and will decide later whether I will contest,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of his brother contesting the by-election from Channapatna, Shivakumar said nothing has been decided yet.
Who will be the JD(S) elect from Channapatna?
Meanwhile, JD(S) sources said the party was considering fielding Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in the Channapatna by-election. JD(S) core committee chairman GT Deve Gowda, however, said the party was yet to discuss the Channapatna seat.
Local leaders are aware of Shivakumar’s wishes.
Local leaders said Shivakumar’s announcement that he wanted to contest the by-election came as a surprise to many, even within the Congress.
talk Indian Express“Suresh’s defeat in the Lok Sabha elections has dealt a blow to Shivakumar’s political career. He knows he needs to (win in Channapatna) to prevent HD Coomaraswamy from monopolizing the Vokkaliga leadership. Nikhil Coomaraswamy has lost both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and this is also an important election for him. He wants to take part in the fight directly,” said a Congress leader in Channapatna, on condition of anonymity.
“However, his desire (to contest the by-election) is also to settle the score with the Deve Gowda family as his brother had lost the Lok Sabha elections,” the party leader added.
© Indian Express Ltd.
First uploaded: 20 Jun 2024 18:23 IST
