Lok Sabha elections 2024 | Former CM H.D. Kumaraswamy close to finish line in Mandya seat in Karnataka

The constituency was represented by Sumalatha Ambareesh who had won as an independent in the 2019 parliamentary elections with backing of the BJP. She had campaigned for the BJP in the Assembly polls of 2023.

Janata Dal (Secular) president and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy was ahead of his rivals after 18 rounds of counting in the prestigious battle for Mandya parliamentary seat in Karnataka.

Mr. Kumaraswamy had polled 8,21,172 votes while his nearest rival Venkataramane Gowda (alias ‘Star’ Chandru) of the Congress had polled 5,46,020 votes in the Vokkaliga heartland. The bulk of the votes have been counted, and only the postal ballots remain to be accounted for. While two more rounds of counting in three Assembly segments pending, it appears that Mr.Kumaraswamy has established an unassailable lead over his Congress rival.

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The constituency was represented by Sumalatha Ambareesh who had won as an independent in the 2019 parliamentary elections with backing of the BJP. She had campaigned for the BJP in the Assembly polls of 2023.

The BJP, on its part, had persuaded Sumalatha Ambareesh to refrain from seeking re-election. The latter not only agreed but also joined the BJP, which prevented a three-way split of votes in the constituency.

Though the electoral face-off was between H.D. Kumaraswamy and Venkataramane Gowda, it was also reckoned to be a fight for the Vokkaliga leadership in the agrarian district involving Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar of the Congress who is positioning himself as a prominent leader of the community.

Though there are 15 candidates in the fray, the battle for Mandya is perceived to be a direct contest between the NDA represented by its ally — the JD (S) — and the Congress in the absence of any ‘notable other’. After 18 rounds of counting, NOTA (None Of the Above) is in the third place with as many as 7,425 votes.