Union Minister Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil named NDA candidate for Channapatna

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy was on Thursday announced as the NDA candidate for the November 13 Assembly by-polls from Channapatna, a seat vacated by his father and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy after being elected to Lok Sabha. The 36-year-old is pitted against five time MLA from the segment and former Minister C P Yogeeshwara of the Congress, who joined the party after quitting BJP on Wednesday. Nikhi's mother Anitha Kumaraswamy, a former MLA, had unsuccessfully contested from the seat in 2013, and faced defeat against Yogeeshwara, a political heavyweight in the constituency. With Yogeeshwara joining Congress to contest the Channapatna bypoll, pressure was mounting on Kumaraswamy from party workers and leaders to field Nikhil.

Kumaraswamy had held marathon meetings with party workers and leaders, especially those from Channapatna, over the last couple of days, before deciding on Nikhil's name. A meeting was held with alliance partner BJP, at veteran leader B S Yediyurappa's residence on Thursday, before Nikhil's name was formally announced. "We announce Nikhil Kumaraswamy as NDA candidate for Channapatna bypolls...hundred percent he will win. Together we will tour Channapatna and he (Nikhil) will win with a big margin," Yediyurappa told reporters, flanked by Kumaraswamy, Nikhil and other BJP-JD(S) leaders. It is said that Kumaraswamy was under a dilemma, as Nikhil was not keen on contesting but buckled under pressure from party workers. Nikhil had said he was in favour of the party fielding a local JD(S) worker or a leader as candidate. This is the third electoral battle for the actor-turned politician grandson of JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.

He had unsuccessfully contested the 2023 Assembly from the neighbouring Ramanagara, which had propelled Deve Gowda to the post of chief minister, and the seat that was also represented by both his parents. He earlier had a disastrous electoral debut when he had lost to BJP-backed independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 polls.