Challenging Star Darshan, a popular actor in Sandalwood, was set to begin campaigning for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah  in Chamundeshwari on Saturday, when he faced an unexpected hurdle – those villagers in Nagenahalli, where he was set to begin campaigning, who strongly supported JD(S), refused to let him enter.

“This is our village. We won’t let him come inside,” said Nijalingappa, a resident who supports the JD(S).

Darshan was set to campaign of behalf of Siddaramaiah in 33 villages in Chamundeshwari from 9 am on Saturday. However, as talks between him and the protesting villagers failed, he decided to move on to the next village.

Another popular actor, Sudeep, will be joining Darshan’s campaign trail.

Darshan, the son of the erstwhile Kannada film villain, Toogdeepa Srinivas, has a huge fan following. He has also acted in numerous blockbusters.

In 2014, Darshan had campaigned for BJP candidate PC Mohan, who was contesting for the Bengaluru Central Lok Sabha seat.

In September 2017, Congress leaders held talks with Darshan, hoping to rope him into the party and field him as a candidate for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The party was planning to pit him against incumbent Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha.

The Congress’ move to lure the actor, a source says, has however not been fruitful till now, even though Darshan’s mother, Meena Toogudeepa is currently the Mysuru Congress Women’s Wing President.

He has, in the past, landed in several controversies. In September 2011, Darshan was arrested for allegedly assaulting and threatening his wife with a revolver. He was also booked for various offences including attempted murder.

His wife, Vijayalakshmi, at the time, was admitted to the ICU at a private hospital in Bengaluru. In her complaint, Vijayalakshmi had alleged that the actor had been torturing her and their three-year-old child.