D.K. Suresh says he will not contest from Channapatna
The byelections to Channapatna Assembly seat being necessitated following Union Minister for Heavy Industries H.D. Kumaraswamy vacating his seat is set to be intense even though the dates are yet to be announced. While the NDA partners JD(S) and BJP are yet to identify their candidate, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has started his outreach in Channapatna constituency as he held a public programme to hear grievances on Monday.
Mr. Shivakumar, who initially indicated that he would contest from Channapatna, an attempt to redeem his pride among the Vokkaliga voters, later retracted and hinted that he would not contest. On Monday, his brother and former MP D.K. Suresh said he would not contest from Channapatna, which is part of Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency where he earlier lost to BJP candidate and cardiologist C.N. Manjunath. JD(S) youth president Nikhil Kumaraswamy and BJP MLC C.P. Yogeshwar are seen as potential NDA candidates for Channapatna.
“People have rejected me and it has not been even a month since I lost the election. If I contest again, people will laugh at me. Even I need to be in a proper frame of mind to contest. People have given me rest and told others to work. I will continue to work as an ordinary party worker,” Mr. Suresh told presspersons here.
Public outreach
Meanwhile, Mr. Shivakumar, speaking at the public function titled ‘Let there be cooperation for government services at your doorsteps’, said: “There was an experienced person here. I had thought that he would address the problems of people. However, nothing has happened.”
“There were complaints during the Lok Sabha elections that names from Muslim community have been deleted in the voters’ list. I have directed the Deputy Commissioner to visit homes of such people and add their names to the list,” he said.
Mr. Shivakumar said the decision on the candidate for the Channapatna byelections would be decided in the party forum. “Mr. Suresh and I will listen to what the party says. Mr. Suresh was not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha polls, but did so under pressure from party workers. He is never greedy for power,” he said.
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