HD Kumaraswamy will contest as NDA candidate from Mandya LS seat: JD(S) leader C S Puttaraju
Mandya, Mar 21: Senior JD(S) leader C S Puttaraju on Thursday said the party's state President H D Kumaraswamy will be contesting as the NDA candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha segment.
Though there is no official announcement yet, speculations are rife among both alliance partners -- BJP and JD(S) -- about the seat going to the regional party and former CM Kumaraswamy being the candidate.
Earlier there were reports that JD(S) will get the seat and Puttaraju, a former MP from the constituency or Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who had unsuccessfully contested from the segment, may be fielded from the segment.
"One Hundred per cent Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy) will be the candidate, I will lead the election campaign in the constituency and ensure his victory with a huge margin. We will call him just to file a nomination. In all the eight assembly segments under the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, Kumaranna as a NDA candidate will win with a huge margin," Puttaraju said.
ALSO READ: Ex-CM and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy undergoes heart surgery at Chennai hospital
Addressing reporters here, he said, "With the blessings of JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and cooperation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both BJP and JD(S) workers are eager to ensure Kumaraswamy's win."
An official announcement will be made in a couple of days, once Kumaraswamy returns from Chennai, where he underwent a heart surgery, the former minister said.
"Candidates from both parties will be unanimously announced for the remaining constituencies including Mandya, Hassan and Kolar. We will work together for the victory in all 28 segments in the state," he said.
Multilingual actress turned-politician Sumalatha Ambareesh, an independent candidate backed by the BJP, had won the seat in 2019 by defeating JD(S)' Nikhil Kumaraswamy. She is seeking BJP's ticket for re-election from Mandya constituency.
Asked about Sumalatha saying that the final decision on whether the Mandya seat will go to BJP or JD(S) is awaited, Puttaraju said the BJP high command will make an announcement, sorting out all minor issues. "Everything will be fine."
The regional party is expected to contest in three seats -- Mandya, Hassan and Kolar.
But, according to recent reports, BJP is not willing to cede Kolar seat to JD(S), which has irked the regional outfit. BJP's S Muniswamy is the incumbent Kolar MP.
However, Kumaraswamy on Tuesday had expressed hope that the issue would be resolved. He indicated that JD(S) will field candidates in that constituency as well, along with Mandya and Hassan.
There is an "atmosphere" for the party to win there, he added.
Venkatarame Gowda, popularly known as 'Star Chandru' is the Congress candidate from Mandya.
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England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
