Nikhil Kumaraswamy eyes to emerge as Arjuna in 'Kurukshetra' bypoll battle at Channapatna

Will Nikhil Kumaraswamy remain an Abhimanyu or emerge as 'Arjuna' this time? This question has become a talking point in Channapatna Assembly constituency in Karnataka, where the bypoll will take place on November 13.

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The prestigious battle of Channapatna has turned out to be 'Kurukshetra' of sorts, with the grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, Nikhil trying his luck for the third time in electoral politics after being defeated twice in the past.

Nikhil lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Mandya and in the 2023 Assembly election from Ramanagara. This time he has a direct fight as an NDA candidate against the Congress candidate C P Yogeeshwara.

The reference to the battlefield of 'Kurukshetra' from the epic 'Mahabharata' is drawn in the Channapatna bypoll for the reason that Nikhil had played the role of 'Abhimanyu' in the Kannada period movie 'Kurukshetra'.

As the story goes, Abhimanyu, the son of legendary archer Arjuna, makes the supreme sacrifice in the battle, much to the delight of his opponents 'Kauravas'.

"I have only seen defeat in my political career. I appeal to the people of Channapatna to give me a chance to serve you as devotedly just as my grandfather and father did," Nikhil told his electorate in Channapatna on Sunday.

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Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy was confident that his son would emerge as Arjuna and not Abhimanyu.

"He (Nikhil) had played the role of Abhimanyu in the movie 'Kurukshetra'. In politics too he was trapped like an Abhimanyu, but the people of Channapatna this time have decided not to let him 'Abhimanyu'. They want him to play the role of Arjuna and emerge victorious," Kumaraswamy, who is also, former chief minister, told reporters in Hassan on Sunday.

Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy went to Hassan to pay their obeisance to Goddess Hasanamba, the deity of their home town and seek her blessings for their son.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did not feel so about the third generation of the JD(S) first family.

"Wasn't he Abhimanyu in the two previous elections? He lost the 2019 parliamentary election from Mandya constituency when his father was the chief minister of Karnataka. He also lost the Ramanagara Assembly election. How can he become Arjuna all-of-a-sudden?" Siddaramaiah quipped.

The Channapatna Assembly constituency fell vacant after Kumaraswamy resigned following his victory in the Lok Sabha election from Mandya.

While the JD(S) is trying hard not only to retain the seat but also re-launch Kumaraswamy's son, the Congress is putting all its efforts to win this seat.

The ruling Congress also managed to pull former minister Yogeeshwara from the rival BJP camp and field him in Channapatna on the party ticket.

The BJP tried hard to ensure that its MLC Yogeeshwara remains with them. On the advice of BJP national president J P Nadda, JD(S) second-in-command Kumaraswamy had even agreed to field him on his party ticket. However, Yogeeshwara resigned from the legislative council and joined Congress.