Channapatna bypoll: Despite health issues, Gowda campaigns for grandson

Janata Dal-Secular patriarch and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Tuesday jumped into the campaign fray as he sought support for his grandson and party's candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy from Channapatna assembly segment, which will go for by-polls on November 13.

Making a rare public appearance in recent months, the 92-year-old leader, who is facing age-related health issues, appealed to people to ensure a big win for Nikhil in the constituency which was earlier represented by his son and Union minister HD Kumaraswamy twice.

Assisted by his personal staff and gunmen, Gowda, with a cannula on his right hand, attended multiple election meetings on Tuesday and addressed people sitting in his chair as he cited knee pain.

"This election has come as this assembly seat fell vacant due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to make Kumaraswamy a central minister. There was confusion as to who should contest, other leaders have spoken about what all happened, I don't want to speak about that one person (Congress candidate C P Yogeeshwara)..." Gowda said.

He said he has several things to say about what he has done for development of Channapatna like Igloor dam, "but no need to discuss them now."

"Please, bless Nikhil Kumaraswamy, not because he is my grandson.....I don't know whether I will be a centenarian, but with your blessings I will be alive, it is a guarantee, as per the horoscope that my father had got written, I will be alive. (I will see) how my grandson will develop this constituency. His father (Kumaraswamy) is a central Minister and son will be here," he said.

Channapatna by-poll is necessitated as the seat fell vacant following HD Kumaraswamy's election to Lok Sabha. Yogeeshwara, a political heavyweight in the segment, had recently quit Bharatiya Janata Party and joined the Congress.

There were plans to field Yogeeshwara on a JD-S ticket, but he was not interested in it, and instead wanted Kumaraswamy to support him as BJP candidate, which was not acceptable to the latter and his party.

Noting that he has been in politics for 60-years, Gowda said he had never seen "such bad politics that is there now," indirectly targeting the ruling Congress in the state.

"I pray to youth, mothers and elders....enough. Such bad politics should not continue to remain in the state. I'm not saying this out of jealousy, hate or any personal angst.....they don't know how to respect when the leader from an opposition party speaks," he said.

Further, asserting that he will continue to campaign till the last day of campaigning on November 11, Gowda said he will also continue his fight against the water issues faced by the state.

"I have brought it (issues) to the notice of PM Narendra Modi. For one-and-half years more I will be a member of Rajya Sabha, I will fight along with NDA friends, 17 MPs. We will work together in the interest of the state," he said.

Reacting to former Congress MP DK Suresh's statement that Deve Gowda will come for election in an ambulance, the former PM said: "For those who said it, I'm speaking in front of you (people) openly, I will be alive for another four-six years with your blessings. I will fight for my people until my last breath in this body."

This is the third electoral battle for the actor-turned politician Nikhil.

He had unsuccessfully contested the 2023 Assembly from the neighbouring Ramanagara, which had propelled Deve Gowda to the post of chief minister, and the seat that was also represented by both his parents.

He earlier had a disastrous electoral debut when he had lost to BJP-backed independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in the Mandya Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 polls.