Sumalatha to contest as Independent from Mandya

Bengaluru: South Indian multi-lingual actress Sumalatha, widow of late Karnataka Congress leader M.H. Ambareesh, on Monday announced her decision to contest the Lok Sabha election as an Independent from Mandya.

"People of Mandya had a lot of faith in Ambareesh. I want to take forward his vision for Mandya. I will be contesting the elections as an Independent from the constituency," Sumalatha told the media here.

Ambareesh, who passed away in November 2018, represented Mandya, about 100 km from here, in the Lok Sabha.

Admitting that she was expecting Congress to field her from the Lok Sabha seat, Sumalatha remarked that the party did not fight for Mandya constituency from coalition partner Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).

As part of the seat-sharing agreement between the ruling allies, JD-S will contest from eight seats, including Mandya, while Congress will contest in the remaining 20 seats.

The JD-S, which currently holds the Mandya seat, announced that Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil, 29, as its candidate from the seat.

"As Ambareesh's widow, it is my job to serve the people of Mandya," 55-year-old Sumalatha added.