Bengaluru: As Sumalatha, an independent candidate and Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister Kumaraswamy are all set to take on each other in Mandya during the LS polls, the Election Commission has banned screening of movies starring them on Doordarshan till voting is over.
The order was issued by Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer of Mandya parliamentary seat N Manjushree.
However, the ban keeps private TV channels and theatres out of its jurisdiction.
Sumalatha and Nikhil are actors. While Sumalatha has acted in hundreds of Kannada, Tamil and Telugu movies, Nikhil has two recent films Jaguar and Seetharama Kalyana to his credit.
All the equations between Sumalatha, the Congress and the JDS has made Mandya polls a must watch!
Sumalatha, wife of actor-turned-politician and three-time Mandya MP MH Ambareesh decided to plunge into politics merely a fews weeks after Ambareesh’s death.
However, the Congress party that Ambareesh remained loyal to decided to maintain distance from Sumalatha and the JDS got Mandya in the seat sharing agreement.
Considering favourable atmosphere, the JDS decided to launch Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the third generation of the Deve Gowda family.
However, many feel that it is neck to neck fight.
Sumalatha, who has decided to fight as an independent candidate has a strong bond with the people of Mandya, thanks to the Good Will of her husband. She has also garnered support from a section of Sandalwood colleagues.
Superstars Darshan and Yash have openly come in support of Sumalatha despite some JDS activists warning them against it.
Meanwhile, Nikhil has a political lineage and also the film background on his side.
Mandya will be voting on April 18 in the second phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections.
