Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh To Join BJP, Says Won't Contest 2024 Polls

Sumalatha has decided against contesting independently from Mandya and has opted to align herself with the BJP.

Sumalatha praised Prime Minister Modi for elevating India's status globally and credited him with leading the country without corruption. ( Image Source :X/@sumalathaA )

In a significant development for the BJP and JD(S) coalition in Karnataka, independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh, representing the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, declared her support for the BJP on Wednesday. This move effectively ends speculation regarding her contest as an independent candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency.

Addressing her supporters in Mandya on Wednesday, Sumalatha declared her intention to join the BJP. The announcement came following a personal phone call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who reached out to her during his visit to Bengaluru, urging her support former CM and JD(S) state President H.D. Kumaraswamy.

Kumaraswamy, representing the NDA, has been nominated as the candidate for Mandya Parliamentary seat symbolizing a unified front between BJP and JD(S) alliance in the state, particularly in the southern Karnataka region.

Previously, Kumaraswamy met Sumalatha Ambareesh at her residence to solicit her support. In the 2019 general election, it is to note that Sumalatha emerged victorious against Kumaraswamy's son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, in Mandya.

She said as per IANS, “The BJP government at the Centre had released Rs 4,000 crore grants to Mandya Parliamentary constituency. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken me into confidence, spoke to me and made me understand the consequences of any of my decisions. Prime Minister Modi told me that the party needs my leadership.”

Sumalatha praised Prime Minister Modi for elevating India's status globally and credited him with leading the country without corruption.

Stating that she is giving up the seat for which she is currently an MP, Sumalatha said, “Common people won’t understand the intricacies of politics. If I contest as an independent candidate, who will benefit from it? A senior leader from the Congress party had stated his party does not require me. Even after this statement, how can I even think of joining the Congress party?”