Will Karnataka DyCM DK Shivakumar contest Channapatna Assembly bypoll? He keeps everyone guessing

The byelection schedule for this Assembly seat is yet to be announced by the Election Commission.

“Channapatna was also part of Sathanur earlier (the erstwhile segment represented by Shivakumar). I love Channapatna, I want to help Channapatna. I want to change Channapatna,” Shivakumar said.

Asked whether his brother and former MP DK Suresh will be contesting from Channapatna, he said, “that is not decided. More or less, I’m asking the votes for myself.”

“I am asking people to vote for me,” says DCM @DKShivakumar on the Congress party strategy for Channapatna bypoll. DKS avoided responding on whether his brother @DKSureshINC would be the candidate saying, “it is not decided yet. “

The Channapatna bypoll is necessitated after its… pic.twitter.com/j8jEPt6To2

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Also Read: BJP-JD(S) alliance won more LS seats in K’taka due to EVMs: Shivakumar

Shivakumar eyes Channapatna seat

Though there were talks earlier that Suresh, who lost from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment in the recent elections, may be fielded in Channapatna, speculations are now rife in political circles, especially the grand old party, that Shivakumar may enter the fray to avenge his brother’s defeat and to re-establish his clout in the region.

According to sources, if Shivakumar contests and wins from Channapatna, he may vacate the Kanakapura Assembly seat that he currently represents for Suresh.

Both Channapatna and Kanakapura are part of the Vokkaliga dominated Ramanagara district, which comes under the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment.

This was from where Kumaraswamy’s brother-in-law and eminent cardiologist CN Manjunath won as a BJP candidate as part of arrangement between alliance partners BJP and JD(S), by defeating Suresh.

“Channapatna gave me political birth. For four times I have won in a hobli from Channapatna that came under my Assembly constituency. People there have blessed me,” Shivakumar said.

“Even during the difficult times people (of Channapatna) have given us about 80,000 votes (in the recent Lok Sabha elections),” he said. “I have to repay the debt I owe to the people there by bringing in a change there. There is an opportunity to do more development there than what I have done in Kanakapura.”

Stating that he is visiting temples in Channapatna to offer prayers to the gods who have blessed him, Shivakumar said he will then speak to the voters there, and listen to what voters and leaders there say. “Based on that I will decide.”

On what he will do, if people want him to contest, he said, “there is no other way. I will have to listen to what my party and voters say.” BJP MLC CP Yogeeshwara is said to be one of the probable candidates for Channapatna bypoll from BJP-JD(S) alliance.

Kumaraswamy’s actor-turned-politician son Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s name is also doing the rounds. Nikhil had lost the 2023 Assembly polls from neighbouring Ramanagara.

Kumaraswamy of JD(S) had won Channapatna in 2018 and 2023. Before that Yogeeshwara had represented the seat from BJP and Samajwadi Party. He had earlier also represented the seat both as an independent and from the Congress party.

Shivakumar has been representing the Kanakapura segment since 2008.

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