Bengaluru: In an open challenge to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, state JD(S) chief, H D Kumaraswamy declared on Saturday that he would not campaign in Ramanagara and still win hands down from the constituency in the coming assembly poll.
"I will not go to Ramanagara to campaign. Let Mr Siddaramaiah campaign there for the rest of the time. I will still win hands down," he said, clearly getting back at the Chief Minister for his comment that even if both he and state BJP chief, B.S. Yeddyurappa camped for a 100 days in Chamundeshwari they could not defeat him.
Mr Kumaraswamy was speaking in Mysuru on Saturday , where he arrived to campaign both in Chamundeshwari and Varuna, where Mr Siddaramaiah’s son, Yathindra is tipped to contest from. Although he has less than a month to cover the entire state, the JD(S) leader will remain in Mysuru for three days and visit over 100 villages to up his party’s chances of winning from the constituency so crucial for the Chief Minister.
Flanked by party candidate for Chamundeshwari and its sitting MLA, G.T. Deve Gowda, Mr Kumaraswamy, however, tried to downplay his campaigning there. "Do not attach too much importance to my presence here. I am campaigning here just like anywhere else. I made myself free to campaign for three days," he claimed.
But with Chamundeshwari having a 75,000 strong Vokkaliga population, he is clearly aware that his party could impact Mr Siddaramaiah's chances of winning from the constituency. Everywhere he went , the JD(S) leader played on the sympathy of the voters and received a huge reception in Kote Hundi, much to his own surprise.
