HASSAN: JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda has delivered a blow to his elder son HD Revanna by backing his other son HD Kumaraswamy on giving the Hassan Assembly ticket to a common party worker and not to Revanna’s wife Bhavani.
The Hassan ticket is in the middle of an intense tussle between the brothers and has led to cracks within the JDS first family. Party sources said that Gowda strongly opposed Bhavani’s candidature and explained to the followers of Bhavani and Revanna, who met him in Bengaluru on Saturday, the pros and cons of fielding her from Hassan, party sources said.
Kumaraswamy met Gowda recently and explained to him how the candidature of one more person from their family could impact the party’s poll prospects across the state, the sources said. Revanna, Bhavani and their sons Prajwal and Suraj also had a confidential meeting with Gowda and they too discussed the pros and cons of fielding Bhavani from Hassan.
Though the name of HP Swaroop is doing the rounds for the Hassan ticket, Revanna is opposed to it. But Gowda told Revanna and Bhavani supporters that they should campaign for Swaroop, who is from the Dasavokkaliga community -- a subcaste of Vokkaliga.
Kumaraswamy, who has refused to get himself involved in Hassan's politics and left it solely to Revanna, has intervened here for the first time and is likely to prevail in picking Swaroop. The second list of JDS candidates could be out on Monday, and it is highly likely that Swaroop’s name would figure in it, the sources said. But will the Revanna family campaign for Swaroop be the big question? Though quite improbable, one of Bhavani’s followers said she could contest as an independent.