BENGALURU: While Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has decided to start his ‘grama vastavya’ from North Karnataka, his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is planning to stay in Mandya to regain the lost political territory. He had lost the Lok Sabha polls to independent candidate Sumalatha by a huge margin.
A source from his family told The New Indian Express that Nikhil is planning to buy a piece of land there to beat the image of being an outsider. “It will be done in a few weeks after which a temporary house may also be constructed there. Nikhil will stay there to understand the problems of the people of Mandya,” the source added. A video is, meanwhile, doing the rounds in which Nikhil is seen talking to party workers, expressing his decision not to give up after the recent poll debacle.
“I was an outsider. Now, after facing this election I have realised what it is to fight an election staying outside and being here in the field. I have understood the ground reality visiting the 45 villages in 8 taluks. Now, I need to understand people and their woes in other taluks,” he said in the video.
Confirming this, a leader close to him said that the party workers have appreciated Nikhil’s effort and they would all cooperate with him in his endeavours to win hearts. Meanwhile, Nikhil has said that he has zeroed in on about seven farmlands and he will buy about 2.5-acre land. “I have seen about seven lands and will soon buy a 2.5 acre land which has good water resource. I will not leave it here. I won’t even wait till the house is built. I will put a temporary shelter and stay in Mandya to understand people,” Nikhil said in the video which is available with The New Indian Express.
Sankre Gowda, a farmer in Mandya, however, is unsure about his intention. “It is not a bad idea. But the only thing is what will he do here? Is it his ego which is bringing him to stay here and do all the drama or will he really do something for the people of Mandya irrespective of whether he wins the next election or not?” Mandya had seen a high-octane battle between Nikhil and Sumalatha.