Bangalore:
Two Lok Sabha seats in south Karnataka will be voting on Wednesday to choose MPs for the remaining months of this Lok Sabha term. The seats of Mandya and Bangalore Rural fell vacant after the sitting MPs from the JD(S) resigned to join the Karnataka assembly as MLAs after elections in May.
The Bangalore Rural MP was former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy. It is believed that he might have preferred the thought of five years as an MLA to an uncertain future as an MP who had to face elections in a matter of months. Certainly, as leader of the opposition in the state assembly, representing his party the Janata Dal (Secular), his voice is heard more by his constituents than it was in Parliament.
The JD(S), however, does hope to keep the seat in the family. Its candidate is Anita Kumaraswamy, Mr Kumaraswamy's wife and daughter-in-law of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. This part of the state is considered a JD(S) stronghold.
The Congress candidate is DK Suresh, brother of former state party working president, DK Shivakumar. Mr Shivakumar is fairly controversial - and was not considered for a cabinet berth in the Siddaramaiah ministry despite wielding considerable clout in the region.
The other seat is Mandya. The Congress candidate is actress Ramya standing against CS Puttaraju of the JD(S). That seat had a moment of drama and sadness - moments after Ms Ramya filed her nomination papers, her adoptive father collapsed and died soon after, despite being rushed to hospital.
The BJP is not contesting either seat - but is giving support to the JD(S).
The ruling Congress will hope to win these seats to prove that its young government in the state is being appreciated by the people - while the JD(S) would like to hold on to the seats.
Counting of votes will be done on August 24.