BENGALURU : The padayatra launched by the NDA partners— BJP and JDS —on Saturday to corner the Congress government in Karnataka and CM Siddaramaiah over the alleged corruption in the MUDA and ST Corporation also turned out to be a launch pad for Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil to prove himself as the political heir of the Gowda family in the Old Mysuru region, a Vokkaliga bastion.
Worried over him losing control over the leadership of the Vokkaligas, Kumaraswamy had sulked when the BJP tried to entertain former Hassan MLA Preetham Gowda, also BJP state general secretary, by allowing him to share the stage at a recent preparatory meeting held for the padayatra. Kumaraswamy alleged that Preetham was involved in the circulation of pen drives that allegedly contained videos of former Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna, and that the former MLA wanted to finish off the Deve Gowda family. BJP Central leaders, including Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, managed to convince Kumaraswamy, and ensured that padayatra began as planned.
During the padayatra, Nikhil hogged the limelight along with state BJP chief BY Vijayendra, with workers of both parties giving him a grand welcome. As Kumaraswamy is unlikely to walk the entire stretch, Nikhil is likely to get into his father’s shoes to lead JDS workers from the front.
“Nikhil has joined hands with BY Vijayendra. The BJP-JDS alliance is so strong that no one can create a rift between us,” Kumaraswamy said. According to political pundits, Kumaraswamy wants to secure Nikhil’s political future in the Old Mysuru region with the support of BJP, and there are chances of NDA fielding Nikhil in the Channapatna bypolls.