BENGALURU: After weeks of suspense over her candidature from the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, Sumalatha Ambareesh will make her decision public on Monday. The veteran actor and wife of former Congress MP and minister in the Karnataka cabinet Ambareesh is expected to make her contest as an independent candidate official.
While the leaders of the Congress, under the compulsions of the coalition, have asked supporters to steer clear of Sumalatha’s campaign and work for joint candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, workers of the Congress and JDS alike are seen leading the actor’s campaign in Mandya so far.
The BJP will take a call on whether the party will field a candidate in Mandya or back Sumalatha after she makes an announcement.
“She stands to lose close to 1.5 lakh minority votes that are currently in her favour if she contests from the BJP. Factoring in the support she is garnering from workers of both Congress and JDS, she is sure to contest as an independent,” said a Congress party office-bearer from Mandya who is working for Sumalatha’s campaign. He insisted that there is no question of her withdrawing from the contest.
Sumalatha who has been touring the constituency has covered 35 wards in Mandya City Municipal Council area alone.
Mandya city almost accounts for 50 per cent of votes in the constituency.
Sumalatha, who met former external affairs minister and now BJP leader S M Krishna last week said that she would announce her decision on March 18.
She will address a press conference at 11.30am at a private hotel in Bengaluru on her candidature.