New Delhi :
Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of former union minister and top Karnataka leader late Ambareesh on Monday announced that she will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Mandya parliamentary constituency as an independent to continue her husband’s legacy. Addressing a press conference, Sumalatha said that people of Mandya have told her that they will transfer the faith they had in her husband to her.
"Everybody I have met in Mandya has told me the faith they had in him (his husband Ambareesh), they will transfer that to me. That way we can keep the memory of him alive. The decision I have taken if it hurts anyone, I apologise. I am taking this step to continue his legacy," she told reporters during a press conference.
Sumalatha was said to be angry with the Congress as the party didn’t give ticket from Mandya to her. The Congress has given the Mandya seat to its alliance partner JD-S. The JD-S, who will contest 8 seats in Karnataka, has fielded Chief Minister Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Mandya constituency.
As per their seat-sharing pact, JD(S) will contest Hassan, Mandya, Bengaluru North, Udupi-Chikamagalur, Bijapur, Shivamogga, Tumakuru and Uttara Kannada, while the Congress will contest the remaining 20 seats.
The 20 seats the Congress will contest are - Chikkodi, Belagavi, Bagalkot, Haveri, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Bidar, Koppal, Ballari, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Dharwad, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Bengaluru Central, Bengaluru South, Bengaluru Rural, Kolar and Chikkaballapura.
