Actress Sumalatha seeks support of S M Krishna for candidacy from Mandya
Bengaluru, Mar 15: Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of late actor-turned-politician, who is likely to contest as an independent from Mandya in the Lok Sabha polls, Friday met senior BJP leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna here and sought his support.
Krishna, a prominent Vokkaliga leader from Mandya Said he would discuss with the party leadership on supporting her in the polls.
On her part,Sumalatha said she would reveal her decision on contesting the polls and her plan of action by March 18.
"Sumalatha informed me about contesting the polls from Mandya. I will also speak to the BJP leadership,"Krishna said.
Speaking to reporters, he said the BJP would take a decision by March 18 on whether to field a candidate from Mandya or support Sumalatha by not fielding a candidate.
Conceding that there is a demand within the BJP to field a candidate from Mandya, he said "After taking a total view...also looking into the decision that Sumalatha will take on March 18, BJP will take a decision."
On him supporting Sumalatha if the party's decision was otherwise, he said "S M Krishna is not different from BJP as he is part of it."
With Congress ruling out fielding Sumalatha for the Mandya Lok Sabha seat, saying it would go to it's coalition partner JD(S), clamour is growing within the BJP to induct her into the party and field her as the candidate.
A section within the BJP believe that if Sumalatha joins the party and is fielded as a candidate in Mandya, it would help the saffron party, which doesn't have much presence in the Vokkaliga bastion.
Sumalatha's late husband Ambareesh had contested and won from Mandya in the past.
However, according to top BJP sources, instead of inducting her, the party may support her as an independent so that she can continue to bank on the support of disgruntled Congress leaders in Mandya, who are upset about their party's decision to cede the seat to JD(S).
"Her winning is more important now...so support of those disgruntled with the Congress will be an added advantage,which she may lose out by joining the BJP," party sources said.
Speaking to reporters,Sumalatha said she had come to seek the blessings of Krishna, with whom her family shared a good bonding and updated him about the current situation in Mandya.
Stating that she has not met any BJP leaders, the actress said she planned to meet all senior leaders and seek their blessings.
"No one (from BJP) has officially told me that they will extend their support, but in the situation that I'm in, Iwill welcome everyone's support,"she said in response to a question on BJP extending her support as an independent candidate.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy is the coalition candidate from Mandya.
According to the seat sharing arrangement reached by the coalition partners, Mandya has gone to the JD(S).
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Congress cites Maniben Patel's diary entries, asks Rajnath to apologise for Babri claim
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Saturday shared diary entries of Vallabhbhai Patel's daughter from a book to rebut Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's claim that India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, wanted to build the Babri masjid using public funds, and demanded that Singh apologise for spreading "falsehoods".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, claimed the defence minister was spreading falsehoods to “improve his relationship” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Here is Maniben's original diary entry in Gujarati on pages 212-213 in the book ‘Samarpit Padchhayo Sardarno’ by CA R S Patel 'Aaresh', published by Sardar Patel Vallabhbhai Patel Memorial Society, 2025,” Ramesh said on X, sharing screenshots of the relevant pages from the book.
“There is a huge difference between what is contained in the original diary entry and what Rajnath Singh ji and his fellow ‘distorians’ are propagating,” Ramesh said.
“The Defence Minister must apologise for the falsehoods he is spreading, simply to improve his relationship with the PM,” he claimed.
The Congress had earlier termed Singh's claim that Nehru wanted to build the Babri masjid using public funds a “lie” and “WhatsApp university story”, and said the defence minister should not walk in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's path.
Addressing a gathering at Sadhli village in Gujarat's Vadodara district last Tuesday, Singh said Nehru wanted to build the Babri masjid using public funds, but Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel didn't allow his plans to succeed.
The BJP had cited a book by Vallabhbhai Patel's daughter to double down on Singh's claims, and said the first prime minister also said he felt "repelled" by some of the temples in south India despite their beauty.
“The source of what Rajnath Singh said is the 'Inside Story of Sardar Patel, Diary of Maniben Patel'," BJP Rajya Sabha MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi had said at a press conference at the party headquarters while responding to media queries on the issue.
Trivedi claimed that on Page 24 of the book, it is written that Nehru also raised the question of the Babri mosque, but Sardar Patel made it clear that the government could not spend any money on building a mosque.
