For former prime minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo Deve Gowda, problem solving in the party would seem simple. This time, however, the party chief faces an unusually tough test, which some party leaders have dubbed the “ordeal by fire”.
Gowda’s favorite ‘daughter-in-law’ Bhavani Revanna has publicly stated that she is determined to contest from the Hassan seat in the 2023 assembly elections. However, Gowda’s younger son – two-time chief minister of Karnataka and the face of the JDS in the state – HD Kumaraswamy is strongly opposing Bhavani’s candidature.
Read this also | Sons back Bhavani Revanna for Hassan seat, despite Kumaraswamy’s low playing
Bhavani’s sons, Hassan Lok Sabha MP Prajwal and Hassan MLC Suraj have wholeheartedly supported her decision, but her husband and former minister HD Revanna has left the final call to the father.
Plagued by defections, branded dynastic politics, and dubbed an Appa-Maga (father-son) party, it remains to be seen what the senior Gowda decides to do, especially at a time when Kumaraswamy is at the helm of party affairs. , Gowda’s age and health have forced him to take a backseat. JDS leaders say Gowda, who is now in his 90s, has handled many such situations in the past and will take decisions with the best interests of the family in mind.
What’s different this time?
On the one hand, the senior Gowda will have to take Kumaraswamy’s side to ensure that the JDS not only wins, but scores big in the state assembly polls. Kumaraswamy, who recently completed 50 days of JDS’s election rally ‘Pancharatna Yatra’, is drawing huge crowds with the increasingly popular ‘Kumaranna for CM’ slogan.
On the other hand, Gowda is aware that Bhavani who has been active in the district is also a favorite among party workers in Hassan.
However, party leaders do not feel that the Bhavani issue will affect the party’s future or morale.
Read this also | ‘Will disband JD(S) if manifesto promises not fulfilled’: HD Kumaraswamy
“Deve Gowda ji and Kumaraswamy will hold an open discussion on the party platform before taking a final decision. Bhavani’s husband Revanna has already announced this. Kumaraswamy has also made it clear by saying that the children (Prajwal and Suraj) are being misled by some people who want to see a rift in the family. Kumaraswamy referred to them as his children and said that he would make them understand. There is no reason to discuss this further. “The decision will be taken by consensus and will be announced soon,” JDS leader and MLC TA Sharvana told News18.
Kumaraswamy called today’s politics “Kaliyug” and said there were hundreds of “shakunis” waiting to mislead and create rift in the family. “That’s why children speak wrong,” Kumaraswamy said on the sidelines of a public meeting in Raichur on Saturday.
Gowda will have to walk a fine line and balance the interests of his family and that of the party, as the results could affect the future of the party in the coming elections.
“There is no issue that Gowda cannot resolve, especially when it comes to matters within the family. The brothers and family members will sit and take a final decision which will benefit the people supporting the party and JDS. Be it Gowda, Kumaraswamy or Revanna, they will take a wise decision only after due consultation with senior party leaders.”
Bhavani has waited for decades
Bhavani has been dreaming of playing an active role in state politics for decades, even after her sister-in-law Anita Kumaraswamy was nominated as the JDS party’s candidate from Madhugiri in 2008. On Gowda’s insistence, she hires a man. Highly respected, Bhavani remained largely confined to his home district of Hassan. However, senior Gowda granted her political wish by allowing her to become a district panchayat member, where she once again showed that she was politically astute. He was earlier denied a party ticket in 2013 and 2018 when he expressed his desire to contest from the Belur seat.
Thank you thank you thank you @JanataDal_S Candidates Candidates श्री श्री, सूर्वे टुकारां भोजेगौड परिषत, भोजेगौड परिषत श्री श्री श्री मिलिद्ध परिष्ठ#पंचरतान_रहुलता #compassion #keppy pic.twitter.com/i62d2P1yBX— hatched.d.commara HD Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) January 30, 2023
Kumaraswamy had also made an “emotional” appeal to Bhavani not to contest. In the 2008 assembly elections from Madhugiri, at the last minute, the resignation of Veerabhadraiah, the party’s candidate from a government post, was not accepted.
Read this also | ‘Next MLA Bhavani Revanna’: Working From The Ground Up In Karnataka’s Hassan, Is Deve Gowda’s Daughter-in-Law A Rebel Cause?
“On another occasion, I was forced to contest from two seats – Ramnagar and Channapatna – as we did not have any candidate to contest from Channapatna. There was confusion among our party workers and they were upset. But I had to take risks and make sacrifices,” Kumaraswamy was heard saying in response to the developments.
The outcome of Bhavani’s candidature will be a watershed moment for the future of the Gowda family and the JD(S).
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