MYSURU: A day after disgruntled JDS veteran G T Devegowda dared the party to expel him, former minister Sa Ra Mahesh said the MLA would lead the party in Mysuru region, and that his son Harish will contest on a party ticket in the assembly election.
Devegowda is our leader, Mahesh declared before the media here. He said that both father and son would remain in the party and Harish would be given the ticket from Hunsur or Chamaraja constituency. Maintaining that there are always differences within the party, he said there is no doubt party leaders will bury them before elections and put up a united fight. Issues will be settled through dialogue, he added.
Clarifying that neither former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy nor he himself had said they would expel Devegowda from the party, Mahesh said the veteran leader is a strong force who had defeated sitting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. “Why will we expel him from the party?” he asked.
However, he said the party will act tough on those JDS workers who had helped the Congress and BJP.
Refusing to comment on Devegowda’s charges that the JDS has a high command in Mysuru, he said that Devegowda is in close touch with party leaders H D Deve Gowda, Anita Kumaraswamy and youth leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy, and has some political differences with others. To a question, Mahesh said he will remain in the JDS and contest from KR Nagar. Candidates in other constituencies have already started field work, he said.