In the dynamic realm of Mandya’s political landscape, HD Kumaraswamy, the erstwhile Chief Minister and the candidate representing Janata Dal (Secular), surged ahead in the ongoing tallying trends for the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency. His candidacy was fortified by the JD(S)-BJP coalition, adding layers of intrigue to the electoral narrative.

The incumbent MP of Mandya, Sumalatha Ambareesh, who clinched victory as an independent candidate in the 2019 electoral fray, threw her lot with the BJP earlier this year. However, she declared her abstention from the electoral contest of 2024, leaving political aficionados speculating on the evolving power dynamics.

In a bid to reclaim Mandya’s political throne after a decade-long hiatus, the Congress strategically nominated Venkataramane Gowda, affectionately dubbed ‘Star Chandru’, leveraging the support of Independent MLA K H Puttaswamy Gowda, who pledged allegiance to the Congress during the recent Rajya Sabha polls. Nestled between the urban hubs of Bengaluru and Mysuru, Mandya serves as the crucible of the perennial tug-of-war between Congress and JD(S), while witnessing the gradual ascent of the BJP.

Kumaraswamy, presently at the helm of Karnataka State Janata Dal (Secular), boasts a rich political pedigree. Having traversed the corridors of both the Lok Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Assembly, he etched his mark as the MLA representing Channapatna from 2018 to 2023, and earlier, Ramanagara from 2004 to 2009, and subsequently from 2013 to 2018. A scion of Karnataka’s political lineage, he inherits the legacy of his father, H. D. Deve Gowda, the former Prime Minister of India. However, the political tableau is stained with controversy as his nephew, Prajwal Revanna, grapples with allegations of sexual misconduct, spotlighting a grim chapter in the family’s narrative.

The electoral canvas of 2024 unfurled against the backdrop of heightened voter engagement, with a total of 1,779,243 registered voters and an impressive voter turnout of 81.67%, amounting to 1,453,060 votes cast, as per the Election Commission’s statistics. Mandya’s tryst with democracy unfolded in the second phase of polling on April 26, 2024.

In the annals of electoral history, Sumalatha Ambareesh’s triumph in the 2019 LS Polls looms large, as she garnered 703,660 votes, commanding a formidable 51.02% share of the total votes cast. Her victory margin of 125,876 votes over Nikhil Kumaraswamy underscored her political mettle. Rewinding further, the 2014 electoral saga witnessed C.S. Puttaraju’s ascendancy, securing 524,370 votes (43.97%) and prevailing over Congress’s Ramya by a slender margin of 5,518 votes, epitomizing Mandya’s political ebb and flow.