Mandya MP-elect Sumalatha Ambareesh kept her options open for joining the BJP after meeting state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa and former Chief Minister SM Krisha on Sunday at their respective residences. Senior BJP MLA and former Deputy CM R Ashoka was also present.
“It is my duty to meet everyone and thank them,” she told reporters following her meeting. She said that she will visit the constituency on May 29. “I would like to give credit to everyone who has worked hard for me. It was a tough election, a lot of people did not give me a chance at all,” she added.
When asked if she is joining the BJP, Sumalatha said, “There was no provision for an independent MP to join a political party constitutionally. I have the option of giving issue based support to the government.” However, she said that will take the opinion of her supporters before taking any decision on whether or not to join the BJP officially.
The multilingual actor and wife of late Congress MP and filmstar Ambareesh defeated Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
While she initially sought a Congress ticket, she was denied as JD(S) was given the Mandya seat as per the pre-poll arrangement between the ruling alliance in the state. However sensing groundswell support for her, she chose to contest as an independent in the Vokkaliga heartland, considered a JD(S) stronghold.
She got the support of the BJP which has little grassroots presence in the region, and the active support of local Congress leaders who risked suspension from their party to favour her cause.
Meanwhile, according to political grapevine, BS Yeddyurappa is seeking a ministerial position for Sumalatha to help the cause of the party in the region, where it currently has very less presence.
At the end of counting, Sumalatha won by a margin of more than 1,20,000 votes.
Incidentally, at the same time as Sumaltha’s visit, two dissident Congress MLAs – Ramesh Jarkiohli and K Sudhakar – were also at SM Krishna’s residence, along with R Ashoka. However, when asked both Ramesh and Sudhakar told reporters that they were paying a courtesy visit to the leader.