BENGALURU/HASSAN: The twin debacles of Mandya and Tumkur, bound to be sticking points in the Congress-JDS coalition government in the coming days, could also threaten the unity of the Gowda clan.
While murmurs of discord between the brothers, H D Revanna and H D Kumaraswamy, have been in the air for some years now, a behind-the-scenes power struggle may have forced some wrong decisions, sources close to the family say.
The Gowda family story has all the makings of a soap opera -- the patriarch caught in a cleft stick, his sons’ rivalry, pressures and pulls from the daughters-in-law and ambitions of the younger generation -- which may have led to a rift, and finally, defeat, if sources are to be believed.
Deve Gowda, who gave up Hassan parliamentary seat for grandson Prajwal Revanna, reportedly had to face an angry young man at home. Nikhil Kumaraswamy, smarting from his loss to Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya, reportedly questioned why he wasn’t given the family legacy but had to face a tough first outing and subsequent rout, despite being the chief minister’s son, the sources said.
The reason why Gowda chose Tumkur — and eventually lost to BJP’s G S Basavaraju — appears to go back many years. A family source said that after Kumaraswamy was made chief minister twice, Revanna and wife Bhavani expressed disappointment at this favouritism, and reportedly insisted that son Prajwal Revanna be propelled into mainstream politics.
Kumaraswamy, who until then had no political intentions for his actor-son, was perhaps worried that Prajwal would be seen as the next-gen JDS torch-bearer and decided to push Nikhil into the political arena too. Kumaraswamy’s decision apparently irked Bhavani, who demanded that the senior Gowda ensures that Prajwal has a smooth-as-butter debut.
The 85-year-old Gowda put his own political legacy at stake and gave up Hassan -- from where he had won six consecutive times since 1991 -- for Prajwal. Kumaraswamy, left with no choice, opted for the traditional JDS turf of Mandya.
Here, legitimate claims from party workers like Lakshmi Ashwin Gowda, who was preparing to contest, were brushed aside. Neither did the Gowdas grab the opportunity Sumalatha presented before the coalition.
Deve Gowda had to settle for Tumkur, ignoring the barrage of criticism for promoting dynastic politics at the cost of the party, and strong opposition from incumbent Congress MP S P Muddehanume Gowda and former Madhugiri Congress MLA K N Rajanna. What happened is history.
There is another twist to the tale. During the 2018 assembly elections, Bhavani Revanna had reportedly demanded the party ticket from Belur in Hassan district, while Anita Kumaraswamy got the Channapatna ticket. Gowda has pacified Bhavani, promising the ticket from KR Nagar assembly seat in Mysuru district, but it finally went to Sa Ra Mahesh.
When Nikhil went into war, all he had was his actor’s fan base, and some strong JDS leaders like D C Thamanna, Sa Ra Mahesh and CS Puttaraju to back him. But even they failed to deliver. Nikhil allegedly blamed the lack of campaign support from minor irrigation minister Puttaraju, who enjoys support in Melkote, the segment where people voted heavily for Sumalatha. Nikhil also felt slighted that while Revanna had taken coalition partners into confidence in Hassan, none of the family seniors did so in Mandya, where it was most needed.
Now, Kumaraswamy is reportedly upset that both his son and father had to face because of the power struggle in the family.
On Friday, when Prajwal offered to resign for the sake of Gowda, Bhavani is heard to have said, “We have not even celebrated my son’s victory. We are extremely upset about his grandfather’s loss. We feel let down by the people of Tumkur.”