Sumalatha Ambareesh Ends Suspense, Opts Out of Mandya Contest; To Join BJP

Sitting Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh on Wednesday announced that she is joining the BJP, thereby announcing that she is not going to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The wife of popular film star Ambareesh, Sumalatha, an independent MP, was seeking a BJP ticket for re-election from Mandya that was represented by her late husband in the past, which the saffron party has now ceded to its alliance partner -JDS.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is contesting from the Mandya seat. It is interesting to note that Sumalatha had defeated his son Nikhil in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls by a margin of 1,25,876 votes, with BJP's support.

Sumalatha, a multilingual actress-turned-politician, said, "I will join the BJP soon. People leave the party if they are denied MP or MLA seat but Sumalatha MP is joining after vacating the seat for another candidate."

She also stated that she will remain in Mandya politics. "I will never leave Mandya. I can never repay the love and support shown by the people here," she said.

The sitting Mandya MP claimed, "I stumbled into politics accidentally. Mandya voters granted me a historic victory five years ago, and for that, I'm deeply grateful. To everyone who stood by me during this journey, thank you. Throughout my tenure, I've prioritized serving the people and addressing their concerns.

While the MP seat may not be permanent, I will always hold Mandya in my heart as its daughter-in-law."

On asking whether she will campaign for Kumaraswamy, the actress-turned-politician said that she will take a call once she formally joins the BJP.