Mandya: DK Shivakumar is often seen as a trouble-shooter for the Congress. With his acumen to heal political wounds, he is the go-to man during all political crises. But when it comes to Mandya, it certainly seems like he has lost out on his charm. With Ambareesh's widow Sumalatha sticking to her guns on contesting from Mandya, she has become a certain headache for both the Congress and the JD(S).

It is here that the Congress brains want DK Shivakumar to intervene and convince Sumalatha.  But the ground reality is so different. That is because the opposition to DK Shivakumar coming to Mandya is coming not from anywhere else, but from Mandya itself. The local leadership of Mandya Congress is dead against DK Shivakumar coming to Mandya as a peacemaker.

In fact, as strange as it sounds, the local leaders have started a campaign called ‘Go Back DK Shivakumar’ as a mark of protest against him. And it is no secret that the local leaders of Mandya Congress do not want Nikhil Kumaraswamy contesting from there.

But one should also note that the local leadership of Mandya Congress is fine with DK Shivakumar visiting them with a resolve to strengthen the party. However, if you take the view of the top brass of the Karnataka Congress in this regard, they blame it all on the BJP.

“First of all, we should ascertain who are behind all these things. I suspect the BJP’S handiwork in this. BJP is trying to fish in troubled waters which is in their DNA. DK Shivakumar is a top leader, who has proved his ability several times. These are not to be taken seriously. He will act in a manner, which is in the interests of the state. The BJP and the Congress have come together with the sole motive to halt the dictatorial juggernaut of the BJP,” says KE Radhakrishna, the vice-president of the state Congress.