BENGALURU: With Sumalatha Ambareesh in the fray as an independent candidate, Mandya has become the most exciting seat to watch out for in Karnataka this election season.
In an interview to The New Indian Express, she speaks of how drawing from the experience of her late husband and former MP Ambareesh and now with the official backing of BJP, she is battle-ready to take on a politically mighty JD(S)-Congress joint candidate Nikhil Kumar.
Karnataka hasn’t elected an independent MP in over 50 years. Do you hope to break that jinx?
It is overwhelming but I haven’t really given it a thought. I am focusing on what I need to do to the best of my abilities.
What are the strengths and drawbacks of your campaign?
My strength is a public sentiment. I have a fairly good idea of the pulse of the people and what they want. My drawback, as an independent candidate, is having to work from scratch and there is very little time. I need to strengthen an organised way of campaigning. My biggest challenge is the need for grassroots-level workers for booth-level campaigning and to go door-to-door. I have the support of Raitha Sangha, which is a big strength and now the BJP has thrown its weight behind me as well. I think it is the biggest relief for me.
You have been vocal in your criticism of the union government’s policies in the past. Will that weight on your decision to join the NDA if you emerge victoriously?
Support of parties like BJP will help me achieve my goal. Ambareesh had friends cutting across party lines. His closest friends like Shatrughan Simha and Krishnam Raju were in the BJP. I might have had issues with certain matters but I have never been a political person. I have not spoken for Congress or against anyone.
My social media posts won’t have a single post about me supporting even Ambareesh. Now that I am in politics, I see the realities of how things unfold. Given the present trend, the BJP’s support matters a lot to me. Since Congress has not fought for Mandya, it has not stood by its party workers - who are feeling betrayed. Support has to come in somewhere.
Your key campaigners are from the film industry. How do you intend to take on the political might of your opponent, who is also the Chief Minister’s son?
I know they (JDS) call it their safe seat but even the Roman empire was reduced to dust at some point. Nobody should take anything for granted. There is always a first, there is always a way if there is a will. Here, I am not talking about my will but the people’s will that will see me through.
Even Ambareesh has been defeated from this very seat. What makes you confident of a victory?
A lot of things have changed in the political landscape of Mandya. When Ambareesh won thrice as MP, he won with huge margins but when he lost, it was by a minuscule margin. It wasn’t like the people had rejected him.
The last election he fought, he won handsomely. The last time he was offered a ticket he chose not to contest and returned the B-form. People respected that decision. People of Mandya are emotional and connect to things like that. He may have lost elections but the love they have for him hasn’t reduced even a bit.
What is the margin of victory you are looking at?
I am not interested in numbers. Frankly, I didn’t imagine the kind of crowd that gathered during my nomination filing. It wasn’t me attempting to show off my strength because I didn’t know I had that strength in the first place. The margin doesn’t matter as long as I win.
Fans of Ambareesh, you say, approached you to fight elections. But will you be able to influence more than 16 lakh voters of Mandya?
I didn’t take this decision based on the opinion of a few fans or Congress party workers. I toured all of Mandya for three weeks, spoke to people to understand what they want. They told me that they would never forgive me if I back out after giving them hope. And these words resonated all across Mandya. People of Mandya are unique, politically glued in. They are emotional and fiercely proud. They see this as a matter of pride.
Congress workers supporting you in Mandya is creating ripple effects in neighbouring districts. Is your campaign posing a threat to the JD(S)-Congress coalition?
I don’t know if my decision has anything to do with that but the alliance has been facing a lot of issues even prior to this. My decision perhaps became the catalyst, but the resentment among party workers was always there. Congress’ stance of giving away these seats has not gone down well with workers.
What is your plan for the people of Mandya?
I realise now that there is so much that happens when you are in an election fray. So much of negativity and mudslinging, stooping to dirty levels of politics. It is unnecessary. This election, I want to show that you can approach elections in a dignified way, without personal attacks.
That’s my first agenda. In terms of what I can deliver after, I can be an effective voice in the Parliament for Mandya. I have been following what Ambareesh did as an MP and I am aware that apart from MPLAD funds, there are several grants that can be used for development projects.
Would you join the BJP-led NDA if you are elected?
My decision to contest as an independent has not been an overnight one. It has been a journey of asking people what they want me to do and in what space. It is the people’s opinion that matters to me. If I win and such a situation arises, then I have to ask the people what they want me to do. It won’t be my decision.