BENGALURU: With time running out to take his pick of seat to contest from, former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda is leaning towards Tumkur. In a meeting with Rural Development Minister and MLA from Byatarayanapura Krishna Byre Gowda, Deve Gowda is said to have expressed his apprehensions about contesting from Bangalore North.
Despite the Congress having five MLAs and JD(S) having two out of the eight assembly segments in the constituency, Gowda is unsure of absolute support jeopardising his aspirations to position himself as a prime ministerial candidate if a non-BJP front wins the Lok Sabha elections.
“On behalf of all five MLAs of Congress, I have requested Deve Gowda to contest from Bangalore North. All seven coalition MLAs are of the opinion that Deve Gowda should contest from here. There is absolutely no difference of opinion,” Krishna Byre Gowda insisted after the meeting. The JD(S) patriarch refused to respond in the positive.
“They have asked me to contest from North but JD(S) workers from Tumkur have also proposed that I contest from there. A decision will be taken soon,” Deve Gowda said. Earlier in the day, JD(S) MLAs from Tumakuru met with the JD(S) patriarch urging him to pick the seat.
With BJP holding five of the eight assembly segments, Gowda is sceptical but prefers Tumakuru over Bangalore North. “Find an alternative candidate for Bengaluru North,” Gowda reportedly said in the meeting. “Without Gowda, the seat is a walkover for the BJP.
In fact, his candidature in North could have ripple effects in Chikkaballapur turning the tide in the coalition’s favour,” a Congress leader said, reiterating that Congress preferred for Gowda to contest from Bangalore North. Gowda, on the other hand, is wary of sabotage by Congress MLAs who have identified themselves as ‘Siddaramaiah loyalists’. The question over his influence on the urban Vokkaliga votes is also on Gowda’s mind.