Leading Kannada Star Sudeep May Take Political Plunge, Join BJP: Report

Kannada actor Kiccha Sudeep is reportedly planning to enter politics in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly Elections.

Sudeep is likely to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, ANI reported.

Sudeep and another Kannada actor Darshan Tugudeepa will join the party at 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm at a private hotel in Bengaluru, ANI cited BJP sources as saying.

A well-known actor in the South Indian film industry, Sudeep had been reportedly approached by several political leaders who were keen on recruiting him to their parties.

Kiccha Sudeep had recently met with Congress leader D K Shivakumar, sparking rumours of his potential entry into politics.

Speaking to a local Kannada news channel, Sudeep had remarked that he was considering the move, but several factors had to be taken in to account before making a decision, including the opinions of his fans.

According to the news channel, Sudeep also met with other political leaders such as Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai and D K Sudhakar.

However, Sudeep had made it clear that he is yet to make up his mind about entering politics and will only announce his decision when he does so.

Sudeep Sanjeev, who hails from Shimoga district and goes by his first name Sudeep, belongs to the Valmiki Nayaka community that is included under the list of Scheduled Tribes.

The actor also had extended support to the long pending demand of the Valmiki Nayakas to increase reservations for their community.

A leading Valmiki seer Prasannananda Puri Swami had launched a protest for the quota that lasted for over 250 days.

In October last year, on the eve of Valmiki Jayanti (the birth anniversary of Maharishi Valmiki, an icon revered by the community, the BJP government announced a decision to enhance reservations for SC/STs.

The state cabinet unanimously agreed to hike reservation for SCs to 17 per cent (from 15 per cent) and for STs to 7 per cent (from 3 per cent).

The seer called off his protest only after Revenue Minister R Ashoka handed over the gazette copy of the ordinance passed a day after the cabinet meeting.

According to a few political observers, Congress's desperate bid to woo Sudeep stems from fear over the ruling BJP further consolidating its support within the Valmiki Nayaka community thanks to the deft political move to increase the reservation quota.

Valmiki Nayaka community is the largest among the nearly 52 tribes in the state, and BJP has gained support among a significant section of the community.

Karnataka has 15 Assembly constituencies reserved for STs and 36 seats for SCs.

Over the year, both Congress and JD(S) have made multiple attempts to lure the actor to their party based on the calculation that fielding him as a candidate will influence the Valmiki Nayaka community, which has considerable electoral clout in central districts of the state like Chitradurga, Davangere, Bellary and Raichur.

In 2014, the Congress offered him to contest as a party candidate from either Raichur or Bellary Lok Sabha seats.

In the run-up to the previous assembly elections in 2018, the JD(S) made a determined attempt to induct the actor into the party fold, including an offer to make him an MLC and, subsequently, a minister if the party comes to power. However, the actor rejected the overtures and decided to stay out of electoral politics.

In 2011, the actor was approached by the JD(S) to contest the Bellary rural byelection.