Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and superstar Shiva Rajkumar were attending a meeting of the Ediga community in Bengaluru.
Front row, from left: Actor Shiva Rajkumar and Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar at an event in Bengaluru. (Supplied)
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumar on Sunday, 10 December, made an open offer to the Kannada superstar Dr. Shiva Rajkumar to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket from a constituency of his choice.
He made the offer while speaking at the Karnataka State Ediga Convention, organised by the State Ediga Community Association at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru.
“I was just talking to Shiva Rajkumar to get ready to contest in the upcoming elections to the Lok Sabha. He said he has already committed to several feature films. However, films can be made later but such opportunities to contest elections and become a member of the Lok Sabha do not come very often. He can choose any constituency he desires to contest,” said Shivakumar.
In the ongoing Ediga Convention, Karnataka DyCM @DKShivakumar offers Lok Sabha ticket to popular actor Dr Shivarajkumar.
“I have told Shivarajkumar to get ready for the Lok Sabha polls. I will give seat wherever he demands. He said he has committed himself for five to six… pic.twitter.com/6bLWutlYbL
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) December 10, 2023
Shiva Rajkumar refused the offer. “Following in the footsteps of my father, I am blessed by him with the art of entertaining people through acting in films. Beyond that, I do not wish for anything else,” he said.
“However, my wife, Geetha, is the daughter of former Karnataka chief minister Bangarappa, and as a husband, I must support her ambitions. If Geetha is interested in contesting, I as a husband will always be there to support her,” added the actor.
It is believed that the deputy chief minister was planning a masterstroke by making an offer to Shiva Rajkumar.
He was apparently trying to make significant gains in the Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency, represented by the BJP’s BY Raghavendra, son of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, in the Lok Sabha.
According to the caste equations in Shivamogga, Edigas form the majority, followed by Lingayats, Muslims, SCs and STs, and Vokkaligas.
If Shiva Rajkumar, who enjoys huge popularity across all sections of the communities and also represents the first family of the Kannada film Industry, could be fielded from there, the contest would have garnered a lot of attention.
Incidentally, this was not the first time that Rajkumar’s family was asked to contest the elections.
Erstwhile Janata Party leaders JH Patel and George Fernandes had invited Kannada thespian Dr Rajkumar to contest against former prime minister Indira Gandhi in the 1978 Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha byelection, but he declined, expressing his desire to stay apolitical.
Geetha Shivarajkumar, the daughter-in-law of the Kannada thespian Dr Rajkumar, joined the Congress before the recent Assembly elections in the presence of Shivakumar.
Geetha, daughter of late chief minister S Bangarappa, also campaigned alongside her husband Shiva Rajkumar for the Congress candidates.
Her brother Madhu Bangarappa, who contested on a Congress ticket from Soraba, won against his brother Kumar Bangarappa, a BJP member. He is currently the minister for primary and secondary education in Karnataka.
In 2014, Geetha Shiva Rajkumar unsuccessfully contested the Shimoga Lok Sabha election as a JD(S) candidate.
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