Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) spokesperson M. Lakshmana filed his nomination paper as the Congress candidate for Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday.
Soon after Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar arrived in Mysuru from Chamarajanagar, Mr. Lakshmana accompanied by them, submitted his nomination papers to Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra, who is also the Election officer for Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency, at the new Deputy Commissioner’s office on Bannur Road in the city. KPCC Working President Tanveer Sait and Minister for Animal Husbandry K. Venkatesh were also present on the occasion.
According to the affidavit, Mr. Lakshmana, (59) a resident of Paramahamsa Road in Yadavgiri in Mysuru, possesses movable assets worth ₹46.65 lakh including a four-wheeler, while his wife’s movable assets are worth ₹39.5 lakh. The movable assets in the name of Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) and his two dependents are worth ₹2.56 lakh, ₹45.9 lakh and ₹18.96 lakh respectively.
The market value of Mr. Lakshmana’s immovable assets amount to ₹1.5 crore while his liabilities amount to ₹35.3 lakh. His annual income for the year 2022-23 is shown to be ₹6.51 lakh while his spouse’s annual income for the year is shown as ₹5.01 lakh.
Addressing a gathering of supporters outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar described Mr. Lakshmana as a “gentleman” and addressed his as “Lakshman Gowda”. He said he chose to describe the party candidate as “Lakshman Gowda” because it had been 40 years since the Congress had fielded a Vokkaliga in Mysuru Lok Sabha constituency. So, in consultation with Mr. Siddaramaiah, the Congress had chosen Vokkaligas in a total of 8 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka including Mysuru. He said Mr. Lakshmana will work for the people 24/7 after his election as an MP.
Mr. Shivakumar called upon the party workers to take the workers of AAP, DMK and Communist party into confidence at the booth-level and involve them in the campaign for the Congress candidate. He said there is “no-Modi” wave anywhere, but there is also a wave of the Congress’ guarantee schemes across the State.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah hit out at Mr. Lakshmana’s adversaries for questioning his Vokkaliga roots. He said Mr. Lakshmana had claimed several times that he was born as a Vokkaliga and following the words of poet laureate Kuvempu, he was aspiring to become a ‘Vishwa Manava’ or a “person with universal consciousness”.
However, he said nobody chooses their caste before birth and all humans should live harmoniously with each other. He trained his guns against the BJP for pitting one section of the society against the other for electoral gains.
He also accused the BJP government at the Centre of failing to fulfil the promises made to the people while the Congress government in Karnataka was walking the talk by implementing all the guarantee schemes after coming to power.
