H.D. Deve Gowda
| Photo Credit: File Photo
Mandya Lok Sabha constituency is set for a high profile election, with Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda declaring on Tuesday that the decision on candidate for the constituency would be taken by the BJP Central leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The decision on finalising the candidate will be jointly taken by Mr. Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president J.P. Nadda along with the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, the former Prime Minister said. His statement came in the light of incumbent Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambarish meeting the Prime Minister and the BJP president seeking to retain Mandya seat for the BJP in the alliance.
“Over three days during next week, I, along with party leaders, will travel across all the eight Assembly constituencies in the parliamentary seat. We will go united and elicit opinions from party workers on the possible candidate. Our party high command will convey this to BJP leaders on the issue. Ultimately, they will decide. We will adhere to the decision taken,” the former Prime Minister told presspersons here after holding a meeting of leaders from Mandya district.
On the candidates, Mr. Gowda said, “There are opinions that either Nikhil Kumaraswamy or Mr. Kumaraswamy should contest, and that party workers also want me contest. I do not want to contest and Mr. Nikhil also does not want to contest.”
