BENGALURU: As electioneering reaches a crescendo in Mandya, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will parachute into the fierce battle between independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh and the coalition’s Nikhil Kumaraswamy.
Rahul will be the star campaigner on Saturday, as he addresses a joint rally of the Congress and JD(S) in KR Nagar. The JD(S) appears to have taken a strategic decision to hold the rally in KR Nagar, where Sumalatha had received an overwhelming response recently.
In the past two days, Kumaraswamy has been campaigning extensively for his son in Mandya, while Sumalatha and her supporters too have hit the dirt track into the interior villages. Not ready to take chances with the way the poll wind is blowing, he personally invited Rahul Gandhi to address the public meeting in KR Nagar.
The Congress president’s presence at the rally acquires significance, coming as it does on the back of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s endorsement of actress Sumalatha just four days ago, at his Mysuru rally. It is also being viewed as a coalition compulsion, considering that Ambareesh was a minister in the UPA government, and a Congressman all along.
Rahul’s rally will serve two other purposes: to announce that all is well in the coalition, despite fissures at the ground level, and ensure that the local Congress unit falls in line and campaigns for Nikhil. This is bound to give the third-generation Gowda a big boost, which has been missing despite several fire-fighting attempts by local leaders, including Siddaramaiah.
Over the past couple of weeks, it had become increasingly unclear who is working for Sumalatha, and who is against her, as local Congress leaders have shown up at her rallies and roadshows, party flags in hand.
Although JD(S) candidate Nikhil called on a few veteran Congress leaders, including former minister N Chaluvarayaswamy and others, they did not join him in his campaign, and instead, accused JD(S) workers of attacking rebel Congress workers. Many Congress leaders took a neutral stand - neither did they campaign for Sumalatha, nor joined Nikhil on his roadshows.
Attempting to put up a show of unity, Siddaramaiah had campaigned for Nikhil in Nagamangala, Malavalli and other pockets of Mandya, and also insisted that local Congress leaders share the dais.
In the midst of this bitter battle, Rahul could come as a unifying force. The JD(S), which is eager to bring leaders of both parties on to one platform, is likely to prevail on Rahul to direct his local leaders to work for the alliance candidate.
Rahul will also address a joint rally in Kolar, where Congress leader KH Muniyappa is seeking re-election.