LS 2019 polls: ‘Boss’ Darshan boosts Sumalatha campaign in Mandya

Actor’s arrival promises to be just the beginning of a campaign which will have other Kannada film stars joining in soon.
Actor Darshan campaigns for independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh at Srirangapatna in Mandya on Monday | Express
Actor Darshan campaigns for independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh at Srirangapatna in Mandya on Monday | Express

MANDYA: A brief lull existed in Mandya after the showdown on March 18, when veteran actress Sumalatha chose to go ahead with filing her nomination as an independent candidate for the Lok Sabha elections. However, this uneasy peace was broken on Monday with the arrival of ‘challenging star’ Darshan, fondly called ‘the boss’ in this region.

Taking a break from his hectic shooting schedule in Hyderabad, the actor reached the Ganesha temple at the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoir, from where he launched his campaigning stint for Sumalatha. As the priests performed a special puja, Darshan in true filmy style, pulled the chariot of Sumalatha Ambareesh at Srirangapatna.

Over the next sixteen days, Darshan will tour Mandya to ask voters to choose the wife of the popular film star Ambareesh as their representative in parliament. At Aralikatte, near the KRS, fans screamed out his name and he waved to them, impervious of the attacks on him by Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and other JD(S) leaders in the past.

Darshan was flanked by expelled Congress leader Sachidanand and others in an open jeep and he was driven around, all the while waving with a smile and an appeal to vote for Sumalatha, who he fondly calls ‘Amma’, to counter the JD(S). He refrained from attacking any of the JD(S) leaders. “Convert this positive energy into votes on April 18,” he said.

After his speech, a bike rally escorted him through green paddy fields to reach Anandur on the Srirangapatna - Hunsur road where the cavalcade was greeted with crackers and flowers were showered on him. “I am not against anyone but here with the single purpose of seeking your blessings for Sumalatha,” he said, to a cheering crowd.

By afternoon, the star brushed aside advise to take a break and powered on to Nuguvanahalli where a village festival was underway. Stopping at junctions in the town, he used his popularity with the female voters to appeal to them not to skip voting. “I want the youth to take the elders to the voting booth and guide them to cast their crucial vote,” he told the gathering. The star even allowed a college student to read out poems that she had penned down for him and Ambareesh and allowed her to read it out from his campaign vehicle.

Keeping in mind the fact that three more candidates, who share Sumalatha’s name, are not chosen by voters by mistake, Darshan made it a point to familiarise voters with Sumalatha’s election symbol, a farmer blowing a trumpet, by having a few youth dressed in green turbans and blowing trumpets follow him around. He also announced Sumalatha’s serial number 20.

Soon, the intensity of Sumalatha’s campaign is set to intensify with leading actor Yash also likely to join. JD(S) workers in the constituency said that they wanted their candidate, Nikhil Kumaraswamy to counter the high visibility campaign by roping in popular leaders as well.

More lapses pointed out in Nikhil’s papers

Social worker BS Gowda has lodged a compliant with the Election Commission, pointing out lapses in JD(S)-Congress’ Mandya candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination papers, even as Special Election Observer Ranjit Kumar gave him a clean chit. Gowda said the voter list in Ketheganahalli of Magadi assembly constituency mentions his name as Nikhil Kumaraswamy, whereas his affidavit has his name as K Nikhil. Gowda demanded the EC to reject his papers and the transfer of the electoral officer.

Sumalatha not a Gowdati: JD(S) MP

The campaign for Mandya constituency turned ugly with JD(S) MP L R Shivarame Gowda saying that Independent candidate Sumalatha is not a Gowdati (female member of Gowda clan). This remark has come under strong criticism and incidentally, the same issue was raised by MLC KT Srikante Gowda, during a campaign. He said, “Actor Ambareesh is a Vokkaliga but Sumalatha is a Naidu.” Ambareesh fans came down heavily on Gowda for raking up the caste issue. Meanwhile, Sumalatha refused to comment and said that the people of Mandya will react to it in the elections

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