Deve Gowda's daughter Anasuya to contest Channapatna bypoll?

Bengaluru: JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's daughter Anasuya Manjunath is being considered as the regional party's candidate for the impending bypoll at Channapatna, a segment poised for a nip and tuck race with the ruling Congress too plotting to win.

Anasuya, a postgraduate, is the wife of cardiologist Dr C N Manjunath, the Bangalore Rural MP. If Anasuya gets the ticket, she will be the 10th member from the former prime minister's family to enter electoral politics.

JD(S) is slated to discuss Anasuya's candidature in a meeting scheduled on Saturday. Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) state president, and other senior leaders will attend this meet.

Kumaraswamy was Channapatna MLA until his election as the Mandya MP, necessitating a bypoll.

According to JD(S) sources, Anasuya is being considered as she worked on the ground for Dr Manjunath's election in the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment under which Channapatna falls. "Anasuya was active in Ramanagara, Kanakapura and Channapatna. She went door-to-door and met people," a senior party leader said.

Apparently, Anasuya is not new to canvassing. She campaigned for Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy in the past.

Congress' Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar is determined to win Channapatna and avenge the defeat of his brother D K Suresh in Bangalore Rural by the BJP-JD(S) combine. Shivakumar is sweating it out in Channapatna by holding public meetings.

Sources say that Shivakumar is planning to field Bangalore Teachers' MLC Puttanna from Channapatna. Puttanna is a native of Channapatna and a Vokkaliga, the dominant community in the segment.

It is also said that if JD(S) fields Anasuya, then Congress would also pick a woman: Kusuma Hanumantharayappa, the party's face in the Raja Rajeshwarinagar constituency.

JD(S) sources also say that Nikhil, Kumaraswamy's son, is not interesting in contesting the bypoll. "He has made this clear to the family. He will contest only from Ramanagara," a source said. Last year, Nikhil contested from Ramanagara and lost.

Since JD(S) held the Channapatna seat, there is opposition to let its ally BJP to contest here. BJP MLC CP Yogeshwar, a former Channapatna MLA, still has two years left in the Legislative Council. The possibility of him contesting on the JD(S) symbol seems bleak. If he contests and wins, then BJP would lose one seat in the upper house as it will be claimed by the ruling Congress.