HD Deve Gowda's Lok Sabha Seat: JDS patriarch to contest from K'taka's Tumkur, sitting Congress MP fumes

Bengaluru: After weeks of speculation and suspense, the Janata Dal-Secular (JDS) on Saturday finally announced that party patriarch and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda will contest from Tumkur constituency. However, the announcement didn't go down well with the sitting Congress MP who went on record to ask the reason for denial of ticket to him.

"What is coalition, what is coordination? I'm a sitting MP from here & I have delivered at the floor of the house. Why have you denied me the ticket? It is not correct," Congress MP SP Muddahanumegowda was quoted by ANI as saying. 

HD Deve Gowda's candidature for the ensuing 2019 polls had come under clouds after he handed over his traditional seat, Hassan parliamentary constituency, to grandson Prajwal Revanna. The 85-year-old has fought 15 Assembly elections from the region and was considered his bastion since 2004. 

The JDS patriarch was left with no seat to contest from after party's another stronghold, the Mandya parliamentary constituency, was given to Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.

With the announcement of Gowda's candidature, out of the eight seats that the JDS will contest elections on, three will have a Gowda family member in the fray. 

HD Deve Gowda was reportedly keen on fighting from Mysore-Kodagu seat, however, Karnataka former CM Siddaramaiah who hails from Mysore, opposed Gowda's entry and managed to secure it for his candidate CH Vijayashankar who was earlier BJP MP twice.

Last week, the ruling alliance had announced the seat-sharing arrangement with the Congress getting 20 seats and JDS bagging 8. The deal was sealed after Congress scion Rahul Gandhi met JD(S) general secretary Danish Ali in Kerala. Earlier in the month, Rahul had also met HD Deve Gowda at the latter's residence. 

As per the pact, the JD(S) will field candidates from Uttara Kannadam, Chikkamagaluru, Shimogga, Tumkur, Hassan, Mandya, Bengaluru and Vijayapura constituencies. 

Karnataka will vote in two phases, 14 constituencies will go to polls on April 18 and the rest on April 23. The counting of votes will be held on May 23. 

The Congress and JDS have been in alliance in the state since the Assembly polls held in 2018 that resulted in a hung assembly. While the BJP had emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats, it failed to cross the majority mark of 113. The JDS had won 37 seats and the Congress managed 80 seats.