Will reveal my plans on March 18, says actress Sumalatha on contesting from Mandya
Bengaluru, Mar 11: All set to take the political plunge, multi-lingual film actor Sumalatha said Monday she will reveal on March 18 whether she would contest the coming Lok Sabha election from Mandya constituency in Karnataka.
Sumalatha, widow of celebrated Kannada actor Ambareesh, who was a three-time MP from Mandya, has disturbed the political equation with her insistence on contesting from the seat, upsetting calculations of ruling coalition partners Congress and JDS.
"I believe that till the last minute anything can happen. Till it is officially announced, there is nothing to say this won't happen. I will let you know on March 18," Sumalatha told reporters in Mandya.
She urged people to not give credence to speculation that Congress leaders were persuading her to not contest from Mandya.
"Please don't heed to rumours about me unless I reveal it to you, given the fact that Mandya is one of the prestigious Lok Sabha seats, not only in Karnataka, but in the entire country," the actor added.
She admitted that Congress strongman and Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar has requested her to not contest from Mandya.
"Well, nobody can pressure me because they know who I am and what I am, but D K Shivakumar had met me with a suggestion that I should contest from somewhere else.
"He told me that since coalition dharma (with JD-S) was in place, Congress cannot retain Mandya. I too told him about my stand on this matter," Sumalatha said.
Having a substantial population of the dominant Vokkaliga community, Mandya is traditionally considered a JD(S) citadel.
JD(S) has not only made Congress give up Mandya but also decided to field Nikhil Gowda, son of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and third generation leader from the Gowda family, from the constituency.
Ambareesh, barring a brief stint in JD(S), had been associated with Congress and was the minister of state for information and broadcasting in UPA-I dispensation. He had represented Mandya thrice in Lok Sabha.
The restlessness in the JD(S) was so apparent that Karnataka PWD Minister H D Revanna targeted Sumalatha, saying she has decided to enter politics when not even a month had passed since the demise of her husband.
The statement of Revanna, son of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and brother of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy, to a private TV news channel in Delhi Friday has embarrassed his party.
Sumalatha was not grateful to what Kumaraswamy did for Ambareesh, who died in November last year, he had said, referring to the arrangements made by the state government for his funeral.
Revanna drew flak from the party, Congress and the BJP for his remarks.
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Retired Army man killed in Kota; wife, aide held
Kota (Raj) (PTI): A 45-year-old retired Army man was allegedly strangled to death in Kota city in a conspiracy hatched by his wife with her lover and his friend, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place in the Avani Road area under the RK Puram police station limits on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday.
The deceased, identified as Manoj Kumar Sharma, a native of Kishangarh in Ajmer, had been living with his family in Kota for several years. He worked as a clerk in the Ajmer electricity department after retiring from the Indian Army five years ago.
The police said the accused were preparing to perform the last rites on Friday morning without informing Sharma's parents, who live in Kishangarh. However, the neighbours grew suspicious and informed them. The parents reached Kota on Friday afternoon, stopped the cremation and lodged a complaint against the deceased's wife, Deepika (40), her lover Devesh and his friend Vishnu.
The police found strangulation marks on the body, indicating foul play, Circle Inspector of the local police station Sidharth Shrivastav told reporters on Saturday.
During the initial inquiry, it was revealed that Deepika was in a relationship with Devesh, a resident of the Khedli Phatak area in the city, who frequently visited her house in the absence of her husband.
On Thursday night, Sharma, Devesh and his friend Vishnu allegedly consumed liquor, during which a scuffle broke out between Sharma and Devesh. Devesh, along with Vishnu, allegedly strangled Sharma to death in Deepika's presence, the CI said.
The couple's children -- daughter (12) and son (14) -- were sent to bed in an upper-storey room at the time of the incident, ASI Brijraj Singh said.
On the complaint of Sharma's father, the police registered a case of murder and criminal conspiracy against the three accused. Two accused have been arrested, while Devesh is absconding, the CI said, adding that two police teams have been formed to trace and arrest him.
Family members of the deceased said relations between Sharma and Deepika had been strained for several years and alleged she frequently assaulted him.
