BENGALURU: It’s blessings and bonhomie in the Congress-JD(S) extended family. Rifts and rivalries apart, ticket holders spent Tuesday touching the feet of elders and seniors, after filing their nominations.
Congress candidates B K Hariprasad (Bangalore South) and Krishna Byre Gowda (Bangalore North) sought the blessings of JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda. Likewise, JD(S) Hassan candidate Prajwal Revanna met Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao for their blessings.
Bangalore Central candidate Rizwan Arshad, accompanied by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, sought out the Gowda couple at their residence in Padmanabhanagar.
A few days ago, Anitha Kumaraswamy, wife of CM H D Kumaraswamy and mother of Mandya candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, sought former CM Siddaramaiah’s blessings, urging him to participate in Nikhil’s nominations rally. PWD Minister H D Revanna, too, was at Siddaraiamah’s residence, seeking his blessings. Sources say the Gowda brothers may have been driven here by intelligence reports indicating a groundswell of Congress ‘rebel’ support to candidates challenging their children.
Seeking the blessings of elders is no doubt the tried and traditional way to erase any trust deficit and neutralise disaffection.
Ditto in the BJP camp. BJP surprise nominee from Bangalore South Tejasvi Surya was at the residence of Tejaswini Ananth Kumar, seeking her blessings after the sudden announcement. Dakshina Kannada BJP candidate Nalin Kumar Kateel crossed the party barrier to touch Congress leader Janardhan Poojary’s feet and seek his blessings, ensuring that the pain of the past does not singe the present, maybe.