A game of one-upmanship has begun in the JD(S) first family with the party supremo - Deve Gowda's grandsons vying for tickets to contest the Lok Sabha polls. On Saturday, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil told the media that he would contest elections if his party leaders wanted him to.
This comes just a few months after Deve Gowda's announcement that Prajwal Revanna, son of Energy Minister HD Revanna, would contest Lok Sabha Elections from Hassan. Now the other grandson, a Sandalwood actor, has also been roped into the family's politics.
"It is not about whether I want to contest elections or not. A few party leaders from Mandya have asked me to contest the Lok Sabha elections... As the Chief Minister's son, I too have certain responsibilities. If the party leaders decide that I have to contest the elections, then I will. I will act in films and also concentrate on my political responsibilities if so," Nikhil Kumaraswamy said.
The 28-year-old son of HD Kumaraswamy is seen as the heir to Kumaraswamy's legacy, JD(S) insiders say and Nikhil may be pushed to contest elections since Kumaraswamy's nephew Prajwal Revanna is also contesting elections.
JD(S) insiders say that Kumaraswamy wants Nikhil to contest from Mandya and also help expand the party's base in the state. "The JD(S) family has always operated on competition between Kumaraswamy and Revanna. The brothers have always tried to do better politically than one another. Now it is the same with their sons," a JD(S) leader said.
For the past eight years, Prajwal Revanna has worked for the party in Hassan and has also built up a following of his own. Prajwal Revanna has been vocal about his political aspirations and has even criticized his grandfather for coming in the way of his ambition. During the election campaign for the state Assembly polls, Prajwal Revanna was made the party's General Secretary.
"Deve Gowda will never allow the power to go out of his family members. They need the other leaders to build up a base but they are not allowed to climb up the ranks because they are only confined to said constituencies. No other leader will be allowed to become a state figure. That is also why Siddaramaiah quit JD(S) and joined Congress. It is not surprising that Nikhil is being shown as the party's face in Mandya. Nikhil has been carrying out party work in the area for a while now. He will be portrayed as the educated son of the farmer leader (Kumaraswamy). He will be shown as the one who has all the solutions. Currently, the decision has not been made but it is very likely that he will contest," the JD(S) leader added.
Nikhil Kumaraswamy made his Sandalwood debut in 2016 with the film Jaguar, produced by his mother Anitha Kumaraswamy. Nikhil's second flick Seetarama Kalyana is all set to release on January 25. He is also shooting for the big-budget film Kurukshetra, which is being produced by RR Nagar MLA Munirathna.
In 2018, ahead of the Assembly Elections, Deve Gowda has announced that only two tickets will be given to family members - his sons Kumaraswamy and Revanna. Deve Gowda's decision had come in the wake of allegations dynastic politics. However, the Chief Minister’s wife Anitha Kumaraswamy was given the ticket to contest the Ramanagara bye-poll in November 2018 after Kumaraswamy vacated the seat. Kumaraswamy had contested from both Channapattana and Ramanagara segments. JD(S) insiders say that Deve Gowda was confident of Kumaraswamy's victory in both segments and hence it would be easier to pave the way for Anitha, if she contested the bye-polls and not the election itself.