JDS names new chiefs; Gowda grandson to lead youth wing

The Janata Dal (Secular) is not just on a stormy ride with its coalition partner Congress party in Karnataka, but is undergoing a major internal churn.

Almost a month after JD(S) state president A.H. Vishwanath quit his post, party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda appointed Sakleshpura MLA and dalit leader H.K. Kumaraswamy as the new state chief, while Madhu Bangarappa, an Ediga leader who lost the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat recently, was named the working president. However, the appointment of Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, came as a surprise to many party leaders and cadres including the party's general secretary and Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna.

"Vishwanath quit his post owning up moral responsibility for my defeat in Tumakuru. Today, the party has chosen five-time MLA and former minister H.K. Kumaraswamy," said Deve Gowda.

The newly appointed president H.K. Kumaraswamy said the party was not disheartened by the poll debacle, as the party has always bounced back from defeats.

"Our party is based on social justice, which you can see in the composition of the state unit. The same will be followed in forming district level committees. Party and government are the two faces of the same coin. It is a big challenge and we need to lead the party ably and strengthen the hands of our chief minister," said Kumaraswamy.

A major criticism of the party is that the party president's post in the JD(S) has always been dubbed as a "rubber stamp", and major decisions are known to be taken unilaterally by the Deve Gowda family.

The outgoing state president minced no words in calling out the party's inadequacies. "A political party can grow when human resources are aptly utilised, talent is spotted and nurtured. People can work effectively only when they are given resources, facilities and freedom Deve Gowda, who has built a party, surely understands this," said Vishwanath, who reiterated his demand that the presidents of both the coalition parties be inducted into the coordination committee at least now.

"In a democracy, this coalition is a unique experiment and it should succeed. So, both parties have formed a coordination committee. I urge HDD to include both state presidents in the committee. This can make way for better coordination at all levels," added the Kuruba leader who holds fellow Kuruba and coordination committee chairman Siddaramaiah for the "failure" of the coalition government.

The longest surviving regional party in the state has however failed to shed its image as a "family-centric" party. Deve Gowda proclaimed that the process to rebuild the party had just began.

"It will take a month for the process to complete. I do agree that in the recent local body election, we came third. As a person who has seen ups and downs, I have never lost courage. We will strengthen the party to face the challenges. I told Siddaramaiah that there will be no difference of opinion if the Congress too strengthens its own base. Yeddyurappa is anticipating that the coalition wil collapse. But, the coalition partners will behave with maturity and this government will last for four years," said the Vokkaliga strongman, who is in poll mode and is planning a statewide tour covering Old Mysuru and Central Karnataka in August.

Prajwal vs Nikhil

Does Nikhil's elevation signal internal turmoil within the party and the first family? The last minute decision to appoint Nikhil as the youth wing president has not gone down well within the family.

Strangely, the official announcement of Nikhil's appointment made during a press meet was sudden and in the absence of his father and chief minister Kumaraswamy, who is on a private tour to the US.

"I never expected the party would give me this position. In Malavalli, I said I wanted to work like an ordinary party activist. This is a huge responsibility. I am grateful to my party for keeping trust in me. If the party has survived for so long, it is due to the organisational skills of Deve Gowda. He might have been defeated, but he has a focussed mind," said Nikhil, adding that he too had anticipated Sharanagouda Patil would be named as the youth wing president.

The cousins once again find themselves pitched against each other. First, it was a race to debut in electoral politics. Now, the race to be the political heir continues with Nikhil being made the face of youth wing of the party, even as Prajwal is expected to focus his energies in his constituency and the parliament as the sole MP from the party.

"I am not aware of Nikhil's appointment. Till yesterday night, Sharanagouda was the choice for the post," said Prajwal, reacting to the sudden change in the list circulated to party functionaries and the media. A few hours, later Prajwal clarified that he was "not upset" over Nikhil's elevation. "I am in a responsible position today. I am an MP and the general secretary of the party. So, my earlier reaction was only because I did not want to respond to reports on WhatsApp and social media. The change was conveyed to me only today noon. I was clueless," he said.

This is not the first time Nikhil impeded the path of his cousin. Prajwal, who assisted his grandfather (Deve Gowda) during the Lok Sabha polls for the last two terms, started touring the Old Mysuru region and ran the election campaign for his father and was perhaps in search of an ideal constituency for himself. In his eagerness to make his political debut, he had many face-offs with his uncle and Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who headed the state unit of the party.

A politically ambitious Prajwal not only handled his Hassan (previously his grandfather's constituency) and Holenarsipura, but was making inroads into Belur, Hunsur, Mandya and RR Nagar in Bengaluru. But, he was denied a ticket to contest the Assembly polls. His ambition to become the political heir to Deve Gowda seemed far-fetched with Nikhil being air dropped to contest from Mandya, even as Deve Gowda vacated his Hassan seat for Prajwal.