BENGALURU : Renowned cardiologist Dr Cholenahally Nanjappa Manjunath, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate from the Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency in Karnataka, is confident of winning the seat against Congress leader DK Suresh in the Lok Sabha elections, saying that the ‘mathematics’ is in favour of the BJP.
CN Manjunath, who also happens to be the son-in-law of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, said that in the 2019 elections, the Janata Dal (Secular) was contesting in alliance with Congress, while this time it is under the BJP’s umbrella, making him mathematically ahead in the polls.
Notably, DK Suresh, the brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, was the only leader Congress was able to send to the Lok Sabha from Karnataka in 2019, as the BJP swept the state by winning 25 out of 28 seats.
In an interview, Manjunath said, “If you look at the mathematics of the 2019 elections, the sitting MP of Congress (DK Suresh) had won that seat. So, in 2019, it was JD (S) supporting Congress and the BJP was contesting solo. Despite contesting alone, the BJP candidate secured 6.7 lakh votes. Now, JD(S) is with the BJP, so mathematically, we are ahead.”
“BJP and JD(S) have a good support base from this Bangalore Rural constituency… in some three pockets, the BJP is strong; in another five pockets, the JD(S) is strong. So both BJP and JD(S) workers are working with a lot of harmony and there is a lot of enthusiasm,” he added.
The cardiologist further said that he has been receiving very good responses from the people while campaigning in the state.
“I have toured all eight assembly segments in the last 18-19 days. There is a very good response. A lot of people are welcoming me and telling me it’s good you have decided to contest; we are very happy to vote for you,” he said.
CN Manjunath has worked as a cardiologist for 35 years and held the position of director at the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research in Bangalore for 18 years. Former US President Barack Obama also praised him for providing high-quality cardiac care at affordable rates.
Recalling his days as a cardiologist, he said, “I coined three slogans for myself: treatment first, payment next; life is more important than the file; and humanity is a priority. I literally practice these three slogans.”
The BJP candidate further said that after completing his tenure, he was receiving multiple felicitations, during which many people were suggesting he make some contributions at the national level. He added that it was the same time when the election schedule was announced.
Calling his entry into politics “accidental,” he said, “First of all, I was not keen on contesting so both the parties (BJP and JD-S)… BJP spoke to my brother-in-law Kumaraswamy and then Kumaraswamy came and discussed with me. Other BJP leaders from the constituency came and discussed with me.”
The Bangalore Rural seat will go to the polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April 26. The counting is scheduled for June 4. In 2019, DK Suresh won the seat of Bangalore Rural by a margin of over 2 lakh votes. (ANI)