BENGALURU/ MYSURU: A day after former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy said he was considering retirement from politics, senior JDS leader and former Higher Education Minister GT Devegowda said he has had enough of electoral politics.
Devegowda, the giant slayer who defeated the formidable Siddaramaiah on his home turf, Chamundeshwari, in the 2018 assembly elections, on Sunday claimed that he would never contest another election. Infamous within the party for being ‘friendly’ towards the BJP, given his history with BS Yediyurappa.
Devegowda had landed in a controversy last week when he claimed that a few JDS legislators, in their legislative party meeting, had suggested supporting the BJP government. Devegowda is said to have come under severe fire from JDS national president and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda for giving rise to speculation, barely three days after the Congress-JDS coalition government collapsed. “I have had enough. If my son wants to inherit my political legacy, he has to grow on his own like me. I reached the pinnacle without the help of any godfather,” Devegowda said, insisting that he would never contest another election but will work as Chamundeshwari MLA for the rest of his term, as gratitude to the voters.
“I haven’t taken any help from anybody. HD Deve Gowda, Kumaraswamy or Siddaramaiah, nobody has helped me. It is true that I had stayed away from my constituency because of government formation, and then its sustainability. I haven’t even been able to come back to thank my voters,” Gowda said, as if to discredit the JDS leadership.
Devegowda has been lobbying to field his son GD Harish Gowda from Hunsur for the bypolls.