JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda may have paved way for his grandson Prajwal Revanna’s entry into electoral politics by forsaking the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency.
But, the going might not be easy for Prajwal, who apparently does not even enjoy the goodwill of the local JD(S) leaders. Though Prajwal is known for his organising skills, he has also earned the reputation of being “brash”.
Gowda, a five-time MP, is most likely to contest from the Bangalore North constituency. But given the maverick politician he is, Gowda might even change his mind in the last minute, said party sources.
Flanked by his mother Bhavani Revanna and brother Suraj Revanna, Prajwal, however, has been campaigning in the constituency for the last many days.
The 28-year-old, who had not even spared his party leadership when he was denied the ticket during the Assembly elections, has earned enemies both in the Congress and the BJP.
The Congress has no presence whatsoever in the constituency, as it lost even the two Assembly seats it had captured in 2013. The local Congress leaders, however, have been persistent in their demand that the party should not cede the seat to the JD(S).
Former minister and defeated Arkalgud MLA A Manju has been openly expressing his disgruntlement. Speaking to DH, he said that Prajwal was inexperienced, and wasn’t fit to contest the Parliamentary elections. He also accused the JD(S) of trying to decimate the Congress in the old Mysore region. He also hit out at Gowda for trying to field his grandsons, at the cost of the coalition.
“When both parties are looking at winning the maximum number of seats, it is wrong on the part of the JD(S) to expect seats like Kolar, Chitradurga, Chikkaballapur, Tumkur, which are held by the Congress,” he said.
Manju said that Gowda will be letting down the voters of Hassan if he abandons it. It is rumoured that Manju himself might decide to contest on a BJP ticket. The probability of him defecting to the BJP is higher, as Gowda has given no indications of contesting from Hassan.
The BJP feels that it has a better shot at winning Hassan if Prajwal contests. The party is, in fact, hedging its bets on the “unpopularity” factor surrounding Prajwal.
The constituency has nearly four lakh Vokkaliga votes. BJP is looking at capturing the Lingayat, Kuruba and the Brahmin votes. It is also looking at garnering the support of the small Hindu communities.
The party, which does not have a strong local candidate to take on the JD(S), is exploring options of fielding leaders like Chikkamagaluru MLA C T Ravi or Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje.
Prajwal, who enjoys a political legacy, happens to be the son of H D Revanna, who holds the cash-rich public works portfolio. Revanna has been pumping in huge funds into the district. In the last few months alone, Revanna is said to have got development works to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore works approved, keeping an eye on the elections.