Karnataka Assembly elections: Is Kannada star Sudeep joining JD(S)?

Bengaluru : Cinema and politics go hand in hand in India and Karnataka is no different. As poll-related activities are heating up across Karnataka, reports suggest that Kannada star Sudeep is all set to take his political plunge in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections scheduled in May.

All the speculations regarding Kiccha Sudeep (as the superhero is popularly known as) joining politics got some amount of credence after the actor met Karnataka state president of Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) HD Kumaraswamy at his Bengaluru residence on Monday. Although the 44-year-old actor denied reports of him joining politics or the JD(S), media reports say both Kumaraswamy and Sudeep discussed politics for almost two hours over breakfast. Sudeep told reporters that it was just a "courtesy call" and rumours should be laid to rest. Sudeep's meeting with Kumaraswamy came after earlier reports suggested that JD(S) patriarch and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda had asked the actor to join the party.

On Monday evening, the JD(S) hosted a big public meeting in Hassan, known to be the bastion of Deve Gowda family. Attending the meeting, former chief minister of Karnataka Kumaraswamy told the crowd that he and his party are confident of victory in the upcoming elections. He added that he was confident of becoming the next CM of the state. Kumaraswamy's father and former PM asked voters to elect the JD(S) in all the seven assembly seats of Hassan. The elections in Karnataka will be a three-cornered battle involving the incumbent Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the JD(S). Recently, the Election Commission (EC) announced the polling and counting dates for Karnataka. While the polling for the 224-member legislative Assembly will take place on May 12, the counting of votes will be held on May 15 in the southern state.