On a day the Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP displayed their strength as thousands gathered in Ramanagara, when cardiologist C.N. Manjunath filed his nomination for the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress pulled a surprise with nine JD(S) members of the Channapatna Town Municipality, including the president, announcing their decision to join the Congress.
After Shah’s visit
The developments followed soon after the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who held a massive roadshow with JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, the former Minister and BJP MLC C.P. Yogeshwar, and Dr. Manjunath. The Channapatna Assembly constituency, which is part of the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituency, is represented by Mr. Kumaraswamy and the Congress nominee for the Bengaluru Rural constituency, D.K. Suresh, is the brother of Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar.
