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The Hindu
The Hindu
National
R. Krishna Kumar

Lok Sabha polls: Clash of arch rivals is litmus test for HDK and his party in this Cauvery heartland

Battle ground Mandya is poised for a fierce contest between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) where caste arithmetic and the redrawn political equations following the pre-poll alliance of the JD(S) with the BJP will play out in the electoral arena.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the Old Mysore region on Sunday and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi soon after on April 17, underlining the importance of the region where the constituency lies.

The stage is set for a direct contest between the arch rivals as the incumbent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh, who won as an Independent in 2019 with the indirect support of the BJP, has decided to stay away from polls after initial reluctance and formally joined the BJP. This has queered the election pitch in the Cauvery heartland whose outcome will have a bearing on the future of the JD(S).

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