Former Minister and JD(S) leader C.S. Puttaraju announced that former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will be the candidate of the BJP and JD(S) alliance for the Mandya Lok Sabha seat. Puttaraju expressed confidence that Kumaraswamy will win the electoral battle by a significant margin. He also stated that the people of Mandya have a strong emotional connection with Kumaraswamy, who resides nearby, while the Congress candidate lives far away. The announcement comes amidst Sumalatha Ambareesh, the current MP, also expressing her interest in contesting from Mandya under the BJP ticket.