BENGALURU: Former PM and JDS patriarch HD Deve Gowda, considered the tallest Vokkaliga leader, will set out to campaign for grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy, the NDA candidate from Channapatna, on Tuesday. For the first time ever, Gowda will campaign for an NDA candidate in any Assembly byelection in Karnataka alongside BJP leaders. The situation has arisen as JDS formally joined the alliance earlier this year ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
On Gowda campaigning for Nikhil, the former’s biographer, Sugata Srinivasaraju, said, “I won’t comment about the politics of it. But on his sheer fitness, considering he is 92 years old, it amazes me that he is so physically fit and mentally sharp. He puts even experts to shame when he sits with booth-level analysis and data. I marvel at his physical and mental stamina.’’
Though Gowda has many well-wishers in Channapatna, the JDS victory is not ensured here. The seat was vacated by Gowda’s son HD Kumaraswamy after he was elected to the Lok Sabha.
A political analyst bluntly said, “Gowda will walk with the support of two persons, visibly putting his weight on their shoulders to evoke sympathy from the public.” A recent remark by former MP DK Suresh that Gowda will come in an ambulance to campaign for his grandson was not received well by Vokkaligas.
Some reacted sharply to it. But another analyst felt that Gowda’s stock has diminished, pointing out that despite his campaigning for Nikhil in Mandya and Ramanagara in the past, the youngster lost. Former JDS president and BJP MLC Adagur Vishwanath said Gowda’s campaigning will help Nikhil as he is still a force to reckon with.
A political pundit opined that while Nikhil has lost two elections, his cousin Prajwal has lost one, that too from Gowda’s hometurf Hassan. “People have been rejecting the third generation of JDS, and this is a message for the family to bring non-family talent to manage the party rather than rely on their own kin,” he added.
As Gowda enters the campaign scene, the big question is if the tide will turn against Congress Channapatna candidate CP Yogeshwara a.k.a. Sainika, named so because he acted in a movie by that name. Another question on everyone’s mind is — Will AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge campaign for Yogeshwara when the senior-most leader of NDA in Karnataka, Deve Gowda, is campaigning for Nikhil?