The sitting MP from the key Karnataka constituency, Sumalatha spoke at a packed gathering in Mandya city, taking a veiled jibe at Congress' Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar without naming him, and revealing her stance in the upcoming polls. The actor-turned-politician made it clear the Congress did not respect her. And her question to the crowd, whether she should join a party that disrespected her, revealed her anguish over the episode.

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Sumalatha, who won as an independent in 2019, could well have contested on a Congress ticket then but did not receive the backing from the grand old party, with Shivakumar speculated to have played a role in that snub. It was after the demise of her husband Ambareesh that Sumalatha approached the then Opposition leader Siddaramaiah but the latter's position in the party was weak at the time, thanks to Congress' poor show in the 2018 Assembly elections.

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Shivakumar was close to the Congress high command, playing a role in the party's attempts to prevent poaching of MLAs by BJP in other Congress-ruled states. Not pleased with the popularity of Ambareesh, especially in Mandya, Ramanagar and Mysore districts, Shivakumar would not have wanted to cede further ground to the late actor's family by giving a ticket to Sumalatha.

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On Wednesday, the crowd's reaction to her question on joining Congress -- a resounding 'no' -- would have acted as a balm to Sumalatha, with her switch to BJP slated for Saturday (April 6). In her emotional address, she revealed she had tried till the last minute to retain Mandya but a request from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had convinced her not to enter the fray and to join the BJP.

Proudly calling herself 'Mandyada Sose', Sumalatha, said since BJP wanted to have an alliance with JDS to boost their tally she was offered Bengaluru North, Mysuru-Kodagu or Chikkaballapur. “But I insisted on staying with Mandya. I could have contested as an independent as I did in 2019 but dropped the idea, respecting the prime minister's request to allow Kumaraswamy to contest from Mandya,” she said.

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Sumalatha said Mandya had been the 'Karma Bhumi' of her late husband M H Ambareesh and vowed her connection with the district would continue forever even though she might not be an MP.

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After Ambareesh's demise, the people of Mandya had honoured her by giving her the position of 'mother' and 'sister,' as she became the first independent to win from the district in its 52-year history, she said, adding that the record would stay intact as long as she enjoyed the support of the people.

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"None can snatch away my distinction of being the proud daughter-in-law of Mandya. As a mother, I promise you, considering all of you as my children, that I will be with you even if I am not an MP.”

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Sumalatha said BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, had promised her top posts and more responsibilities which would be used for the further development of Mandya.

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"You have seen leaders quitting parties for not getting tickets. But I am not a person of that sort. I was ready to concede my seat, which I won by a big margin, to another person. I may become a former MP but I will be loyal to you till my last breath,” she said.