‘Hope for level playing field’: K’taka CM, other leaders react as LS poll dates out

The 17th Lok Sabha election is set to be a face-off between the BJP and the alliance forged by Congress and JD(S).

TNM Staff

Soon after the Election Commission of India announced the 2019 Lok Sabha election schedule on Sunday, Karnataka leaders rushed to social media platforms to express their confidence and reiterate their agenda for the fight in the 28 constituencies in the state. Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader HD Kumaraswamy expressed hope that the Election Commission would allow a “level playing field” for all parties in the Lok Sabha elections. “India is set for another election. In this battle of democracy, I hope elections are conducted in a level playing field," Kumaraswamy tweeted after the announcement of the poll dates. All political parties and candidates must follow the guidelines issued by the EC and uphold the values of democracy and respect the decision of voters, he added in the tweet. India is set for another election. In this battle of democracy, I hope elections are conducted in a level playing field. All parties and candidates must follow the guidelines issued by the ECI and uphold the values of democracy, and respect the decision of the voters. — H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) March 10, 2019 Meanwhile, the state BJP unit took to social media to express their confidence of Narendra Modi returning for a second term as the Prime Minister. “The dates to make India Congress-mukth have been announced. Hope the opposition is ready with fake narratives. Bring it on, we will expose them all,” tweeted the party's state unit. The dates to make India Congress mukth is announced. Hope the opposition is ready with fake narratives. Bring it on, We will expose them all. Let’s ensure election results are celebrated on Indian soil & not Pakistan. This election #PhirEkBaarModiSarkar — BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) March 10, 2019 Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah, too, engaged in the social media battle between the three parties contesting the elections in Karnataka. "We are looking forward to this election as an opportunity to fight against fascism. BJP's loss will be a win for Democracy. This election will be an answer for fake promises. This election will be an answer for atrocities on Dalits,” he tweeted in a series of tweets raising issues. We are looking forward to this election as an opportunity to fight against fascism.@BJP4India loss will be a win for #Democracy. This election will be an answer for fake promises This election will be an answer for atrocities on Dalits#Elections2019@INCKarnataka — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) March 10, 2019 Polling for the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka will be carried out in two phases -- 14 seats each -- on April 18 and April 23, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora informed. The first set of 14 constituencies, primarily in south Karnataka, that goes to polls on April 18 are: Udupi, Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Rural, Bengaluru South, Chikkballapur, Kolar The second set of 14 constituencies in the northern parts of the state will go to polls on April 23. The constituencies are Chikkodi, Belgaum, Bagalkot, Bijapur, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bidar,  Koppal, Bellary, Haveri, Dharwad, Uttara Kannada, Davanagere and Shimoga. The votes will be counted a month later, on May 23. Read: Karnataka to vote on Apr 18 and 23: Will Cong-JD(S) coalition break into BJP bastions?

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Amid water crisis, residents of Bengaluru’s Bellandur struggle against the tanker mafia

Civic Issues

Heavily dependent on water tankers, residents allege that the water suppliers use that as a bargaining chip to milk them for more money.

Theja Ram

Wait for HL =========== How residents of Bengaluru’s Bellandur are struggling against the water tanker mafia   Amid water crisis, residents of Bengaluru’s Bellandur struggle against the tanker mafia   Several areas in Bengaluru are facing water shortage and the water mafia seems to be making the best of the situation. In Bellandur, a locality with numerous residential high rises as a result of the booming IT sector, the residents are facing a massive water crisis that is digging deep into their pockets. Home to over 1,000 apartment complexes with around 200 units each, the residents depend heavily on water tankers. What’s more, the water suppliers are using this as a bargaining chip to milk more money, residents allege. According to Sudarshan, a resident of the locality, the tanker water suppliers are now dispatching loads to the highest bidder. Even if an order is placed for a load of water, the supply company diverts the same to another apartment that is willing to pay more, he alleges. “We have had a few water suppliers whom we contact regularly. When we call for water, we are never sure whether it will be supplied. Someone else would call him and if they agree to a higher price, he diverts the water meant for us to them,” Sudarshan says. Speaking to TNM, an official with the Department of Mines and Geology says that in the peripheral areas of Bengaluru’s core, the groundwater tables have become drastically low. The department estimates that the water levels have gone below 1,400 ft in several areas like Bellandur, Bommanahalli and the 110 villages in the city’s periphery. On Friday night, all the sump tanks in JSR Verity Apartments in Bellandur ran dry with not a single drop of water to sustain the more than 150 residents in the complex. The residents immediately called the tanker water suppliers on their speed dial but to no avail. The suppliers refused to deliver the water unless the residents agreed to the exorbitant rates they demanded. The apartment dwellers, who were paying Rs 550 for 6,000 litres of water, now had to pay twice as much – Rs 1,200 for one load of water. Despite agreeing, the water suppliers still refused to deliver the water. “They wanted us to enter into a contract with them, which basically states that we will buy water only from the said supplier and no other supplier and that the water supply agency can increase the rates as and when they want,” claims Neetu Tandon, a resident of JSR Verity Apartments. Unlike core areas like CBD, Indiranagar and Koramangala, Bellandur does not have Cauvery water connections and the residents are completely dependent on borewells or tanker water to survive. The residents of one apartment need at least four tankers of water to survive for the day, which they say is digging deep into their pockets. “There is an unspoken agreement between the various tanker water suppliers. If we do not agree to the price they quote, they will not deliver water. On Saturday evening, after we agreed to all the terms the water supplier stated, we finally got water after 18 hours. The thing is, most of the apartments here depend on tanker water. The individual houses have borewells. Sometimes, they too call in for tanker water, maybe when there is a power cut or when their motor malfunctions, and they pay Rs 2,000 for a load. Now the water suppliers want us – the regulars – to also pay that much. We (over 150 residents of JSR Apartments) end up paying Rs 2.5 lakh per month on water. We are also middle class citizens and this is too much,” Neetu laments. “Many borewells have gone dry. Two out of three borewells have gone dry in Bellandur and water is in demand there. If you see  the pattern, the water tables are very low from Bellandur to Sarjapur. It is only in the areas where the population is lesser that we can find operational borewells,” she adds. Pillappa, the owner of Manjunatha Water Suppliers in Bellandur, says that the water supply companies too are trying to stay afloat as there is scarcity. He says that 10 years ago, the borewells were overflowing and there were no water shortage issues. “The borewells began drying out one by one. See, we have to pay people with borewells to get water from them and in turn sell it to these apartments. When the water levels are low, the cost of pumping water increases. With borewells running dry, we have to go till Sarjapur and sometimes beyond to get water. It costs a lot of money to transport water and we also have to survive,” Pillappa says. The residents of Bellandur met the local corporator Asha Suresh and the local MLA Aravind Limbavali on Saturday and demanded that the government intervene and ensure that BWSSB supplies water to them regularly at a standardised rate. “BWSSB is supposed to provide us with water. We want them to supply us Cauvery water in tankers at a standardised rate so that it won’t hurt our pockets. Water is a basic commodity that everyone needs and the government needs to step up,” Neetu says. Speaking to TNM, corporator Asha Suresh said that she has taken into consideration the demands of the residents. “MLA Aravind Limbavali and I are set to meet the Tanker Water Association members on Monday to discuss the issue. We will finalise something which suits everyone,” she added.    

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Karnataka to vote on Apr 18 and 23: Will Cong-JD(S) coalition break into BJP bastions?

Lok Sabha 2019

The Lok Sabha polls will be held in Karnataka in a two phases with 14 constituencies going to polls in each phase.

Theja Ram

Karnataka will go to polls on  with the Election Commission announcing the dates for the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections on April 18 and April 23. Polls will be held across the state in a two phases with 14 constitiencies going to polls on April 18 and 14 constituencies on April 23. The counting of ballots for the Parliamentary Election will take place on May 23.    According to the EC, for the 14 constituencies which go to polls on April 18, the last date for filing nominations in Karnataka is on March 26. The last date for scrutiny of nomination is on March 27 and the last date for withdrawal of nomination is on March 29. For those 14 constituencies going to polls on April 23, the last date for filing nominations is on April 4, the last day of withdrawal of nomination is on April 8. Karnataka has been a bastion of the BJP for Parliamentary Elections since 2004. The BJP won 17 out of the 28 seats in 2004, and emerged victorious in 18 constituencies in the subsequent 2009 Lok Sabha polls. In 2014, the BJP won 17 seats, the Congress won 9 while the JD(S) managed to win only 2 constituencies.   This election season, the Congress-JD(S) alliance is up against the BJP and is hoping to make in-roads in several key constituencies in the northern part of the state. The last time the Congress won more than 10 Lok Sabha seats in the state was in 1999 when it bagged 18 seats. Party insiders say that it is a matter of prestige for the Congress to win at least 15 seats this election, especially since the coalition partners are banking on winning most of the seats in Old Mysuru region. Kalaburgi, Bagalkot, Ballari, Chikkodi, Raichur and Bidar are the constituencies in the northern part of the state the coalition has to retain. "In these segments, the fight has always been between the Congress and the BJP, while the JD(S) has been a non-actor. These are also areas where the Congress has a presence. Losing out here means the Congress in Karnataka will be reduced to a party which cannot win in the northern part of the state,” a Congress source said. Since the 2018 Karnataka state Assembly elections, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the MLA of Badami in Bagalkot, has been campaigning for the party and trying to break into BJP’s stronghold in the norther part of the state. The BJP too has strategically begun its fight with PM Modi launching the campaign in Karnataka from Hubballi, a BJP bastion. On March 6, Prime Minister Modi took part in a rally in Raichur, a Congress stronghold. “It will be a tough fight because in these regions, the Modi wave works, while it’s not so in many southern districts. The Mumbai-Karnataka region has seven segments and these are Lingayat dominated areas, which vote for BJP. The challenge will be to win three to four seats in this region. Another bastion of the BJP is Bengaluru Urban district. The city’s voters have voted for BJP since the 2004 election and the leaders are also pretty strong. This time, the candidates will be chosen based on winnability and not based on whether it is worth fielding a strong candidate against a heavyweight," the Congress source said.  

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K’taka’s poll picture: Is it advantage BJP as Congress, JD(S) tie up for 2019?

Opinion

The poll performance of the three parties in Karnataka has been on predictable lines in the past. But with Congress and JD(S) coming together, will the 2019 outcome be different?

Rakshith S Ponnathpur

The seat-sharing discussions for pre-poll alliances have begun in full swing across the nation, as the dates for Lok Sabha elections near. While the BJP is going alone in Karnataka, the ruling coalition in the state, Congress and JD(S), are in talks over sharing of seats for the 28 seats. A lot of drama is expected over the same in the coming days and as it unfolds, let us take a look at how Karnataka has voted in recent past to get a perspective of what is at stake for the three parties and where they stand as of today. While the mood of the nation has changed significantly over the last two decades, with the Congress-led UPA winning two successive elections in 2004 and 2009 and the BJP-led NDA winning the previous election propelled by a Modi wave, Karnataka has more or less given similar verdicts. (BJP: 18 in 2004, 19 in 2009 and 17 in 2014; Congress: 8 in 2004, 6 in 2009 and 9 in 2014; JD(S): 2 in 2004, 3 in 2009 and 2 in 2014). This is because all three parties have reached an equilibrium in terms of vote-share with their settled vote-banks. This status quo can be affected only when there is drastic exodus of a vote-bank from a party, like it happened in 2013 when state BJP President and Leader of Opposition, BS Yeddyurappa, had broken away to form his own Karnataka Janata Party. Fielding a single alliance candidate can again alter this status quo and make it a very interesting election to predict. Can contradictions in Cong-JD(S) alliance help BJP? BJP is going into 2019 without any significant changes and hopes that the inherent contradictions in Congress-JD(S) alliance will help in continuing its strong run and hold over Karnataka. This inherent contradiction is because both parties have a traditional rivalry in Old Mysuru region of the state, where their cadre are comparable in strength and have fought against each other for years. The strategic decision taken by their top leadership to fight together may not resonate with them, when either of them are told to vacate their constituencies and extend their support for the other. It is going to be a real challenge for Congress and JD(S) to not only quell discontentment within their parties, but also to take along the disgruntled cadre and make them see the larger picture which necessitated such a contradicting alliance in the first place. Otherwise, we may well witness cross-campaigning and cross-voting in many constituencies of the region, throwing up surprise results in favour of the underdog. This is exactly what the BJP will be hoping for in its weakest region. Congress is a key player in all constituencies. Even in its weakest constituency of Tumakuru, it has a significant vote-share and an incumbent MP. In the past, Congress has fought a direct battle for 20 seats with BJP, two seats with JD(S) and a trilateral contest in six seats. JD(S), on the other hand, has a significant presence only in eight constituencies and all of these constituencies- Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapura, Chitradurga, Hassan, Kolar, Mandya, Mysuru and Tumakuru, unsurprisingly fall in the Old Mysuru region. JD(S) is going to demand at least six to eight seats from the abovementioned constituencies and Congress will have to vacate these seats as an inevitable cost for the alliance. JD(S)’ decreased parliamentary vote share Beyond the old Mysuru region, JD(S) has negligible presence in all but a few constituencies like Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, Bidar, Vijayapura, Kalburgi, Koppal, Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada. Even here, its presence is only marginal. But if it manages to consolidate its marginal vote-share and ensure complete transfer of votes to Congress in these seats, it will work in favour of the alliance and reciprocate for Congress vacating its seats in the Old Mysuru region. If it does not manage to do so, the results may become a bitter pill for Congress to swallow, a case of letting JD(S) grow at its own cost in old Mysuru while not gaining anything in return elsewhere. In other constituencies across Mumbai-Karnataka, Hyderabad-Karnataka, Coastal and Central Karnataka, it will continue to be a two-way fight between a stronger BJP and weaker Congress. BJP has held most of these seats for years and will continue to latch on to them in all probability. JD(S) has to be pragmatic and settle with around six to seven seats among Mandya, Hassan, Mysuru, Shivamogga, Chitradurga, Bengaluru North and Tumakuru constituencies. After the deal has been sealed, it has to ensure it has its house in order, since the induction of Deve Gowda’s grandchildren, Prajwal and Nikhil, into active politics and the decision to field them as candidates, has raised many eyebrows within the party itself. Many among those who vote for JD(S) in Assembly Elections historically vote for BJP in parliamentary elections, as can be reflected in the trend of decreased parliamentary vote shares of JD(S) when compared to its Assembly vote shares and the corresponding trend of increased parliamentary vote-shares of BJP. The disillusionment with dynastic politics can very well aggravate this trend. BJP’s narrative will be along these lines as it will understandably look to win over the disillusioned Congress and JD(S) supporters. Congress has the twin challenge of selecting strong candidates in some seats of Mumbai-Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka, where BJP is in a position of strength, and convincing its cadres in Old Mysuru region about the absolute necessity of the alliance with JD(S). BJP looks the most sorted of the three parties at present, but there is still enough time remaining for the polls for things to change and if the alliance successfully manages to overcome its contradictions, it may well pose a challenge and weaken the position of strength that the party has been enjoying for close to fifteen years. A pragmatic prediction at this stage would be 14-16 seats for the Congress-JD(S) alliance and 12-14 seats for the BJP. Rakshith S Ponnathpur is a Public Policy student at National Law School of India University, Bengaluru with interests in policy, politics and data analytics. Views are author’s own.  

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How rise of grandsons has brought JD(S) family feud into the open

Lok Sabha 2019

JD(S) insiders say that the rift between HD Revanna and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has grown wider, ever since the latter's son Nikhil decided to contest elections.

Theja Ram

Trouble and infighting seem to have riddled the first family of the JD(S) and this became evident after Chamundeshwari MLA GT Devegowda's statement that JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda's family was ‘not one unit’. "They (referring to Deve Gowda's sons) are all on their own. Balakrishna Gowda and his family are separate. Kumaraswamy and his family and HD Revanna and his family are all separate and they are not working as one family unit," GT Devegowda told the media on Saturday evening. JD(S) insiders say that the rift between HD Revanna and Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has grown wider, ever since the latter's son decided to contest elections. The rift seems to be over the continuing uncertainty about JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda’s choice of constituency for the Lok Sabha elections. Why are the brothers fighting? Over eight years ago, Prajwal Revanna, a young, barely-out-of-college student decided to enter politics. Thinking it would be easy for him to obtain a ticket, Prajwal was banking on his grandfather – HD Deve Gowda, to make things easier for him. However, Prajwal Revanna was told that he had to build up a voter base and a strong image and also contribute to the party before he was given a ticket to contest polls. Prajwal Revanna shifted to Hassan district's Holenarsipura area and began working for the party. After forming a youth wing with active party workers, Prajwal Revanna was certain that his time would come and that he would be offered a ticket to contest the 2018 Assembly elections. However, Prajwal was made the party's General Secretary and was not given a ticket. Finally, the family patriarch – Deve Gowda announced that he would vacate the Hassan Lok Sabha seat for his grandson Prajwal during the 2019 Parliamentary elections. It was then decided that Deve Gowda would contest from Mandya instead of Hassan and Prajwal would finally enter politics. Deve Gowda made a formal announcement in January this year. A few weeks after the announcement, Nikhil Gowda's film Seetharama Kalyana was launched and this had set the stage for Nikhil to be seen as the saviour of farmers. People across Mandya were given free tickets to watch the movie too. In February, Nikhil Gowda was seen interacting with party workers in Mandya and had also told the media that there is "a lot of pressure from party workers, who want him to contest the Lok Sabha polls". On March 6, Nikhil Gowda formally announced that he was contesting from the Mandya segment as the Congress-JD(S) coalition's candidate. JD(S) insiders say that this did not sit well with HD Revanna and Prajwal as the latter had to work for eight years before getting a ticket while Nikhil, who has no experience in politics or managing a party, was given a ticket without any effort. With Deve Gowda having to vacate the Mandya seat for Nikhil, he is planning to contest either from Mysuru-Kodagu or Bengaluru North. Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is unwilling to part with the Mysuru seat and is reluctant to give the ticket to a JD(S) candidate. "This is not a good idea and chances of losing are high. So, Revanna decided to speak out against Sumalatha in an attempt to bring down Nikhil's popularity. This would ensure that Deve Gowda himself would have to contest from Mandya to salvage the situation," a JD(S) insider said. On Friday, Energy Minister HD Revanna made distasteful statements against legendary Sandalwood actor and former Congress MLA Ambareesh's wife, Sumalatha. Ambareesh's popularity in Mandya is unparalleled and Revanna’s calculated attack on Sumalatha was to generate unrest among the people and create a scenario where a rookie like Nikhil Gowda would not survive, JD(S) sources added. Some of the party leaders told Deve Gowda to contest from Hassan and 'forget' about his grandson’s political aspirations. This further angered Revanna more, which is why he spoke that way about Sumalatha, to ensure that Nikhil is denied a ticket, sources said.

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A 14-year-old grudge may have led to Bengaluru gangster's murder: K’taka police sources

Crime

The Central Crime Branch team has detained two rowdy sheeters, Srikanta and Cat Raja, in connection with Rowdy Lakshmana’s murder.

Theja Ram

Feared in Bengaluru's underworld and considered one of the richest goons in the city, Rowdy Lakshmana was hacked to death in broad daylight by a gang of five men on Friday near the ISKCON temple in the city. The murder has raised questions about the motive and sources suggest his rivals exacted revenge for a murder that he had committed 14 years ago. On Friday evening, the Central Crime Branch, which took over the probe into Lakshmana's murder, detained two men, Srikanta and Cat Raja, who are both rowdy-sheeters with cases of murder, attempted murder and extortion registered against them in the Soladevanahalli Police Station. CCB sources say that Cat Raja allegedly confessed to being a part of the 5-member team that killed Rowdy Lakshmana. Cat Raja allegedly told the police that the murder weapons and bloodied clothes were hidden in Kareem Saab Layout. On Saturday morning, DCP North N Shashikumar and Mahalakshmi Layout Inspector Prashanth, took Cat Raja to Kareem Saab Layout when he tried to attack the police and escape. The police fired two shots at Cat Raja, who was injured and is now undergoing treatment. Police say that two other gangsters – Kalla Jagga and Hemanth alias Hemi – have absconded and that they are being traced. "Cat Raja, Srikanta, Hemi and Kalla Jagga are all close associates for Machchu Manja, who was killed 14 years ago by Lakshmana and his men," police said. In 2005, Machchu Manja, a local gangster, was returning home after distributing his wedding invitation. He was chased down by twin brothers Rama and Lakshmana along with 40 others in Yelahanka. Machchu Manja was hacked to death with sickles and machetes. "According to Cat Raja, the murder was committed due to both personal rivalry and also because of certain land grabbing cases which Lakshmana was involved in. We have reason to believe that the assailants had planned the event well in advance and that a woman friend of Hemi was roped in as well," police said. Police found a hotel room key in Lakshmana's car and suspect that Lakshmana was on his way to meet Hemi’s friend. "We think she may have tipped the others off. This was well planned. The day before Laksmana was killed, Cat Raja and Kalla Jagga had performed a puja at Machchu Manja's grave in Solur. Although we do not have adequate evidence about whether it was a revenge killing, we have reason to believe it was due to the suspects in the case and the events which led up to Lakshmana's murder," the police added.

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Cong-JD(S) go on damage control mode after Revanna's sexist jibe on Sumalatha

Lok Sabha 2019

The Mandya mess is so grave that even troubleshooter DK Shivakumar has been asked to pacify Sumalatha and her supporters.

Theja Ram

After Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy's brother and Karnataka Energy Minister HD Revanna made distasteful comments against actor Sumalatha Ambareesh, party leaders from both the Congress and JD(S) have dived into damage-control mode. Revanna had told the media on Friday that Sumalatha was showcasing her political aspirations and it's not even a month after her husband, actor and Congress leader Ambareesh, passed away. Sumalatha's husband Ambareesh was a legendary actor and a three time Congress MP from Mandya. After he passed away on November 24, 2018, there has been much pressure on Sumalatha to contest elections. With the Congress and JD(S) unwilling to accommodate her, Sumalatha had said that she would contest as an independent. The late actor-turned politician's popularity is unmatched in Mandya and Revanna's sexist statement against Sumalatha had angered many of Ambareesh's supporters, who vowed to destroy the JD(S) in the upcoming elections.  In what was an apparent move to assuage their anger, Nikhil Gowda, CM HD Kumaraswamy's son and the coalition's pick for the Mandya constituency went on to praise Ambareesh on Saturday morning. Read: ‘Husband died and she has political ambitions’: HD Revanna’s sexist remark on Sumalatha "We are all pained by Ambareesh's death. Amabareesh was like a brother to Kumaranna (referring to his father CM HD Kumaraswamy). I am the kind of person who respects familial bonds. Anyone can contest elections in a democracy. Whoever wants to contest can do that. Let us welcome it," Nikhil Gowda told his party workers in Mandya on Saturday morning. JD(S) state President apologises When the situation saw no signs of deescalating, JD(S) state President AH Vishwanath apologised to Sumalatha on behalf of Revanna. "As a prominent minister in the state cabinet, Revanna should not have spoken that way about Sumalatha. I did not expect him to speak that way. JD(S) is a party, which respects women and Revanna spoke wrongly about Sumalatha. Hence, as the JD(S) party President in the state, I am apologising on his behalf.," AH Vishwanath said. On Friday, when pressure was mounting on Revanna to apologise for his statements, he went on to further attack Sumalatha. “I have seen so many such dramas. Sumalatha used to act in films and she is now doing the same in politics. Why should I apologise? When Ambareesh died, Kumaraswamy was at the hospital till 4 am. Who would have questioned him if he had gone home after making a quick visit to the hospital? Who is running the ‘Go back Kumaraswamy, Go back Nikhil’ campaign in Mandya? I know who is behind this. I will disclose their names at an appropriate time,” Revanna said. DK Shivakumar roped in to manage the Mandya mess Soon after Vishwanath's statement, several of Sumalatha's supporters told the media that she would be contesting as an independent, especially since the Congress denied her a ticket. The numerous apologies from JD(S) leaders did not put an end to the crisis and Congress troubleshooter and Water Resource Minister DK Shivakumar has been roped in to manage the problem. According to a Congress leader from Mandya, many local Congress party workers and leaders have decided to support Sumalatha either directly or indirectly instead of campaigning for Nikhil Gowda. The Congress and Janata Party have been arch rivals in the Old Mysuru region since the time of the Emergency. The rivalry continued when Deve Gowda split from Janata Party and formed JD(S) in 1999. "They just formed an alliance and expect us to become friends and shake hands, as if decades of rivalry between us does not exist," the Congress leader said. Speaking to the media after holding talks with Sumalatha via telephone, DK Shivakumar said that she would not go against the Congress party. "Sumalatha's supporters may have declared that she is contesting as an independent but I have spoken with her and she will not go against the Congress party," DK Shivakumar said. He also claimed to be ignorant about Revanna's statement and told the media that he would react to it once he watches it himself. Shivakumar has also organised a dinner party for the Mandya Congress leaders, where he will hold talks with them about refraining from offering their support to Sumalatha, sources said. "The dinner party will be held on Sunday in Mandya. Former JD(S) leader, who shifted to Congress - Cheluvarayaswamy and local leaders Narendra Gowda, Ramesh Bandisiddegowda and KB Chandrashekar are supporting Sumalatha. Hence, DK Shivakumar is organising a party so he can talk to them," a Congress source said.  

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