Dozens of people huddle along the highway outside Krishnarajapete. A roll of firecrackers is laid out amidst the beating of drums. As soon as Sumalatha Ambareesh’s campaign convoy turns up, they crowd around her. Sumalatha, 55, is a renowned actress in south India, but here, she has a deeper connection with the people—she is the widow of Kannada actor-politician, M.H. Ambareesh, who won the Mandya Lok Sabha seat multiple times.