Midterm polls inevitable, Congress wanted Kumaraswamy as CM: Gowda

JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda on Friday delivered a jolt to the joint JD(S)-Congress government in Karnataka by suggesting midterm polls are inevitable.

Interacting with reporters at his residence, Gowda claimed he had “no idea” how long the coalition government would last and there was “no doubt”midterm polls would happen. Gowda was quoted by news agency ANI as saying, “They (Congress) said they will support us for five years but look at their behaviour now. Our people are smart.”

Gowda criticised the Congress for “forcing” his son, H.D. Kumaraswamy, to become chief minister after the 2018 state polls threw up a hung assembly. Gowda declared the Congress came to the JD(S) “suddenly” because they “didn't want the BJP to form the government”.

Gowda reportedly claimed he had suggested the name of Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge for the post of chief minister and had even recommended it to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. Gowda alleged Ghulam Nabi Azad told him the Congress leadership wanted Kumaraswamy as chief minister.

Ironically, Gowda's comments come as Kumaraswamy is starting a statewide tour to connect with the people to dispel the notion his coalition government was unstable. Responding to Gowda's comments about the longevity of his government, Kumaraswamy claimed his father had been misquoted by the media and declared his government would finish its tenure. Kumaraswamy has continued to accuse the BJP, the single-largest party in the Assembly, of trying to topple his government by poaching MLAs.

The comments from Gowda follow reports that senior Congress leaders, including notably former chief minister Siddaramaiah, argued with the central party leadership that the tie-up with the JD(S) was a mistake.