Congress leader DK Suresh says he is under pressure to contest from Channapatna assembly seat

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: Former Congress MP D K Suresh on Sunday said he is under pressure from party workers and leaders to contest in the November 13 by-poll from Channapatna seat. Suresh, brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, said he along with all Congress workers and leaders from the segment will abide by the party's decision. "We have held discussions with leaders and workers from Channapatna taluk under the leadership of state President D K Shivakumar and we have gathered their opinion. They have all said that they will abide by the party's decision.

There is also pressure on me to contest," he said. Addressing reporters here, he said he will abide by the decision of the party high command and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge. "More than a candidate, I'm happy to work as a worker along with other party workers, I have asked party leaders to give me an opportunity. Whatever the party decides in two to three days, all the leaders and workers will abide by it," he added. Channapatna will go for by-polls along with Sandur and Shiggaon Assembly segments on November 13. Channapatna bypoll is necessitated after the seat fell vacant following the election of its representative JD(S) state President and now Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy to Lok Sabha from Mandya parliamentary segment.

BJP-JD(S) alliance is also yet to finalise their candidate for the Channapatna seat. According to leaders from the alliance parties, BJP has ceded the seat to JD(S) and the regional party under Kumaraswamy will announce the candidate soon. However, BJP MLC C P Yogeeshwara has been repeatedly claiming that he will be the alliance candidate. This even as Kumaraswamy stating recently that there is pressure on him from within his party, to field a JD(S) candidate, especially its youth wing president and his son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Channapatna. There are also reports that Yogeeshwara may contest on the JD(S) ticket, as per arrangement between both sides.

Kumaraswamy had won the Channapatna seat in 2018 and 2023. Before that Yogeeshwara had represented the seat from BJP and Samajwadi Party. He had earlier also represented the seat both as an independent and from the Congress. "D K Brothers" Shivakumar and Suresh are hoping to regain lost grounds in the region, after the Lok Sabha poll debacle from there. Suresh had lost May Lok Sabha polls to BJP-JD(S) joint candidate Dr C N Manjunath in Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha segment, under which the Channapatna Assembly segment comes.