BANGALORE, January 23: The recent defeat that he suffered at the hands of the Ramanagaram electorate in the Assembly by-elections, has hardly affected the morale of the "rebel star" Ambareesh, who is contesting as the Janata Dal (JD) candidate from the coveted Mandya Lok Sabha seat.The high profile actor was in his elements when he spoke about the Mandya voters. According to him, they will recognise his being the son of Mandya soil and send him to Delhi as their representative.Talking to The Indian Express soon after getting the "B" form from the JD, Ambareesh said that the cause for his defeat in Ramanagaram was that he did not belong to Ramanagaram. "My in-laws are in Ramanagaram and the mistake I committed was to choose Ramanagaram for my maiden launch in politics. They rejected the son-in-law being an outsider. I have complained to my wife Sumalatha," quipped Ambareesh. His wife who was sitting next to him during the interview, acknowledged her husband's comment with a smile."My parents belong to Mandya and I can proudly call myself a local candidate this time. I am sure people will give me a chance to serve them," he said. "Mind you, my performance in Ramanagaram was not bad. I polled 3,000-odd more votes than former Prime Minister Deve Gowda when he was elected in 1994," he said. All Ambareesh wants now is a five-year term in Parliament. "I will give up politics after my term is over. In fact, politicians should not be tolerated for a long time. I want more and more young people to make it to the Parliament so that the country can keep pace with the changing world," he felt.Having taken to active politics since the 1994 Assembly elections, the actor-turned-politician has kept himself away from films for the last two years and is concentrating only on making his way to the Lok Sabha. "I have not signed any new movie for the last two years. I have only one film on hand and that too I will be completing after the elections". Ambareesh attributes his rise in cinema to the affection shown bythe people. "It is the people who brought me to this position. There is no way I can repay the debt. That is why I want to serve them in a different role". Known for his generosity, Ambareesh is one who does not go by caste or creed while extending help. "This sort of help will continue till I have the capacity to help," he said. He does not like to be labelled as anybody's man. He wants to rely on his own strength. He praises leaders irrespective of the party affiliations. While he is all praise for J H Patel government in the State, he does not hesitate in holding Deve Gowda in high esteem for his 10 month-rule in Delhi.
