In the past few years, the BJP had tried to woo the Vokkaliga voters through former deputy chief minister Dr C N Ashwathnarayana and the current leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly R Ashok. But they couldn’t strike a rapport with the people, thanks to the leaders' urban outlook which did not suit the rustic nature of the constituency.

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Former chief minister B S Yediyurappa hails from Bookanakere village in Mandya but even he could not do anything to make the lotus bloom in the vast sugarcane fields of the region. For the local populace, only two parties mattered – the Congress and the Janata Dal Secular. The BJP was considered the party of the upper castes and a north Indian entity.

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Sumalatha, who joined the BJP ranks on Friday, maybe what the BJP needs, a prize catch. The actor had emerged victorious from the constituency in 2019, contesting as an independent but with the backing of BJP.

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She belongs  to the Naidu community but is considered  a Vokkaliga after marrying noted actor-turned-politician M H Ambareesh, who was born in Doddarasinakere village in Maddur taluk of the district.

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While Ambareesh was alive, Sumalatha stayed away from politics but after his demise in 2018, she decided to take the plunge. Despite her inexperience, she triumphed in her new role a year later, becoming the first independent to win the Mandya seat. Now, the BJP wants to groom her as the new face of the party due to her acceptance all over the district. Sumalatha herself has shown the gift of the gab, striking a chord with the people of the region through emotional speeches sprinkled with phrases like 'Swabhiman', ' Mandyada Sose', Hutchigowdara sose' and 'Mandyada Magalu, playing on Vokkaliga sentiment posing as Mandya’s daughter.

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Keen to expand BJP's footprint, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah had realised Sumalatha's potential in her early days in the parliament. The duo felt she was the right leader for Mandya, given the goodwill generated by her late husband Ambareesh, and her courage to take on the illegal stone mining mafia in the areas near the Krishna Raja Sagar reservoir -- the lifeline of South Karnataka in general and Bengaluru in particular.

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But for BJP's alliance with JDS, Sumalatha would have been BJP's candidate in Mandya.

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Plans are now afoot to nominate her to Rajya Sabha, with a minister's post too up for grabs if BJP returns to power for the third straight time. By backing Sumalatha and grooming her son Abhishek Ambareesh, the BJP top brass feels they can make inroads into the Vokkaliga heartland.

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While she has direct access to Modi and Shah, Sumalatha does not interact much with the state leaders, though she has been close to Yediyurappa and former chief minister S M Krishna. If  the lotus blooms in Mandya, it will boost the actress turned politician’s chances of getting a starring role in a BJP blockbuster.

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