Rift Over Candidacy Divides the First Family of JD(S)

Bengaluru: The first family of the Janata Dal (Secular) [JD(S)] is a divided house and so is the party, all thanks to the feud between the two sons of party patriarch, former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda. H.D. Kumaraswamy, the chief decision-maker, and his older brother H.D. Revanna are locked in a no-holds barred tussle over who should be the party's candidate for the Hassan assembly seat in the upcoming assembly elections.

At the centre of the controversy is Bhavani, Revanna's wife, who is refusing to buckle down even as Kumaraswamy is steadfastly opposing her candidature. The two-time former chief minister wants the Hassan ticket to be given to H.P. Swaroop, son of former MLA H.S. Prakash, saying the party cadre wants the ticket for a party worker. Prakash was a four-time MLA before he lost to Preetam Gowda of the BJP in 2018. He died six months after that defeat.

On Monday, April 3, Deve Gowda called a lengthy meeting to evolve a solution to the stalemate that is threatening the unity in the party – but it failed to end the deadlock. Bhavani is adamant that she wants to make the debut from Hassan. Naturall, she has the support of Revanna and their two sons, Lok Sabha member from Hassan Prajwal and MLC Suraj.

As the talks within the family broke down on Monday, Bhavani was understood to have threatened to contest as an independent if the party ticket goes to someone else. Deve Gowda was said to have tried to convince Bhavani to accept an MLC seat, but she refused to budge.

According to insiders, Bhavani's insistence on contesting against the BJP's Preetam Gowda because the latter has criticised her a few times. The Revanna family, angered by the criticism, wants to "teach him a lesson".

Exiting the meeting, Kumaraswamy put up a brave face to say that an amicable solution to the issue would be found. “It would be sorted out before the party’s second list is announced in a day or two,” he said. He added that he will not entertain any rebellion. “I have said time and again that we will respect the sentiments of party workers. No pressure by anybody will work. Final decision will be left to the wishes of the workers."

Voting for the assembly elections will be held on May 10, with the results declared on May 13.

While the 91-year old Deve Gowda has been keeping away from party affairs due to his age and healt, he, however, attended the culmination of the ‘Pancharatna Yatre’ of the party in Mysuru recently. He arrived in a wheelchair and greeted the party cadres as he was being wheeled up a ramp.

This is the first time that the Gowda family is witnessing a public spat. The two brothers always had cordial ties and Revanna was a minister when Kumaraswamy was the CM. Revanna, a multiple time MLA from the Holenarasipura seat, controls the Hassan district, while the nearby Ramanagara district is Kumaraswamy’s stronghold. Incidentally, Kumaraswamy’s family too has fully plunged into politics. His wife Anitha is a two-time MLA but gave up the Ramanagara seat to her son Nikhil. The latter contested against Sumalatha for the Mandya Lok Sabha seat in 2019 but lost.

Deve Gowda gave up the Hassan Lok Sabha seat in favour of Prajwal in 2019. While Prajwal won, Gowda himself lost from the Tumakuru seat. He is now a Rajya Sabha member. Bhavani is not new to politics – she was earlier a party member in the Hassan Zilla Panchayat.

Hassan district has been under the control of the JD(S) for long. In 2018, the party won seven out of eight seats. The party may find it difficult to retain all of them this time. Two of the sitting MLAs, Shivalinge Gowda (Arsikere) and A.T. Ramaswamy (Arkalgud) have quit the party. While the latter has joined the BJP, the former is likely to embrace the Congress.

JD(S) was the first party to release the first list for the assembly elections, announcing 94 candidates (out of 224) nearly a month ago. The Hassan imbroglio has delayed the release of the second list.

B.S. Arun is a senior journalist based in Bengaluru.

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