Lok Sabha polls: Congress candidate 'Star' Chandru files nomination from Mandya

Mandya: Congress candidate from Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, Venkataramane Gowda, better known as 'Star' Chandru, filed nomination papers on Monday.
He was accompanied by Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Cabinet Minister Chaluvaraya Swamy, and other Congress leaders. Gowda appealed to the people of the constituency to elect him in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"Today, I have filed my nomination as the Congress candidate for the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency. I am grateful for the affection shown by the people of the constituency. I appeal to the voters of the constituency to elect me," Venkataramane Gowda wrote in a post on X.
The Congress candidate is a businessman by profession and is the brother of an independent MLA from Gauribidanur, KH Puttaswamy Gowda.
Notably, the Vokkaliga-dominated constituency, Mandya, will see a battle between Venkataramane Gowda and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy.
The Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Chief Minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy, confirmed that he will contest the Lok Sabha elections from Madhya seat as the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate.
"Today, my decision is to contest from Mandya for the upcoming elections. BJP leaders advised me to contest from Mandya. Most of the party workers from Mandya also insisted. I will file my nomination and then campaign in the state," Kumaraswamy said while addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on March 26.
Voting across all seats in Karnataka will be held in the second and third phases of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26 and May 7, respectively.
Karnataka has a total of 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, including five seats reserved for SC candidates and two for ST candidates. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJP won 25 seats with a vote share of 51.7 per cent, while the Congress won 1 seat with a 32.1 per cent vote share, and JD(S) and Independent won one seat each in Karnataka.
The general election for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases starting April 19, with counting to be held on June 4.