BENGALURU/TUMKUR: The JDS has decided to field Ammajamma, wife of late B Sathyanarayana, who was Sira MLA, as the party candidate for the November 3 bypoll.JDS supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda announced her name on Tuesday. The party is hoping that the sympathy vote will help it retain the seat. Meanwhile, Ammajamma tested positive for Covid-19, but is expected to recover before October 16, the last day for filing of nomination papers.
“My mother is asymptomatic and doing well at Pruthvi Hospital, and may recover in five days,” said her son B S Sathyaprakash. On Monday, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy had also hinted that Ammajamma will be fielded.
The Congress has almost finalised former minister TB Jayachandra as candidate, while the BJP is likely to go with Dr Rajesh Gowda. All three candidates are from the Kunchatiga Vokkaliga community. In Sira, out of 2.11 lakh voters, 58,000 are from this community.