edited by: nitya thirumalai
Last Update: February 28, 2023, 12:04 IST
JDS leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy has not budged from his announcement of fielding a common party worker from Hassan in the upcoming Karnataka assembly elections. (Twitter/@hd_kumaraswamy)
The ticket for the Hassan constituency has become a major point of contention as Bhavani Revanna, who threw his hat in the ring, has not pacified despite HD Kumaraswamy making it clear that he will not be fielded.
Janata Dal (Secular) family’s tussle over ticket from Hassan Assembly seat intensified on Monday as Bhavani Revanna’s supporters gathered in large numbers outside the Parliament building demanding ticket for their leader.
Bhavani Revanna, a former member of the Hassan Zilla Panchayat, is the wife of HD Revanna, the party patron and elder son of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. Her brother-in-law and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has not wavered from his announcement of fielding a common party worker from Hassan in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.
“I have already said that I will field an ordinary party worker in Hassan and defeat the BJP candidate, I am still committed to that stand… I will take a decision which will ensure that there is no loss of public goodwill towards it. Violation na ho party,” Kumaraswamy had said last week.
Bhavani Revanna’s rival for the ticket and the preferred choice of candidate is HP Swaroop, former Vice-Chairman of Hassan Zilla Panchayat and son of ex-MLA late HS Prakash. He is also visiting villages with his supporters.
Responding to the show of strength by supporters of Bhavani Revanna, Kumaraswamy said it is normal for a candidate to try to climb over the party leadership for a ticket.
“Those who want to contest elections are trying to do all this to put pressure on us. Why should we concern ourselves with this? Considering his current health, party supremo HD Deve Gowda is also not in a position to take a decision on this. We all will sit, discuss the issue and then take a decision.
Kumaraswamy had also called a meeting with party leaders to discuss the issue, but the meeting was reportedly canceled by Deve Gowda.
JD(S) has announced the first list of candidates for the 2023 assembly elections in Karnataka and is likely to announce the second list before March 15.
Bhavani Revanna seems to have the support of her husband and son Prajwal and Suraj Revanna, who are Hassan MP and MLC respectively. However, he does not publicly disagree with Kumaraswamy’s stand.
The major contest for the Hassan ticket had recently begun with Bhavani publicly claiming that her name had been finalized by the party for the Hassan seat and that a formal announcement would be made soon, for which Kumaraswamy had said that his candidature was not necessary as the party had a capable candidate in the constituency.
Some political observers are of the opinion that the perception about the JD(S) is too family-centric and the reason for fielding a party worker like Kumaraswamy’s nature is one of its major shortcomings.
Eight members of Gowda’s immediate family are in active politics. JD(S) supremo Gowda is also a Rajya Sabha MP from Karnataka, while his son Kumaraswamy is a former chief minister and MLA from Channapatna. Kumaraswamy’s wife Anita is an MLA from the Ramanagara constituency, and his son Nikhil, who is the JD(S) youth wing president, contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Mandya but was defeated.
The party supremo’s elder son HD Revanna is a former minister and MLA from Holenarasipura, his wife Bhavani Revanna was a member of the Hassan district panchayat, and his sons Prajwal and Suraj are MPs and MLCs from Hassan, respectively.
The Gowda family has its representation in all the four main houses of the people’s representatives – Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad.
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