Hassan
Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy-led Panchratna rath yatra will tour Assembly constituencies in Hassan district, except Hassan segment, from March 10, as part of the campaign of the party for the coming Assembly elections in Karnataka.
In a media conference in Hassan on March 6, former minister and JD(S) MLA H.D.Revanna said the yatra would be launched in Belur on March 10. Mr Kumaraswamy and other leaders of the party will address a rally.
The yatra would move to Channarayapatna on March 13, to Arsikere on March 14, to Holenarasipur on March 15, to Arakalgud on March 16, and to Sakleshpur on March 17.
Mr. Revanna said the yatra would tour Hassan constituency some other time. “As Hassan is the headquarters of the district, we are planning to hold the rally in the city in a big way after some days,” he said.
Asked if the yatra would tour Hassan after the party’s candidate for the constituency is declared, Mr Revanna said, “We will choose a candidate after taking the opinions of all leaders and workers in the party.”
The imbroglio over selection of a candidate for Hassan has remained unresolved. Mr Kumaraswamy is in favour of fielding H.P. Swaroop, son of former MLA H.S. Prakash. The other aspirant for the ticket is Bhavani Revanna, wife of H.D. Revanna.
Referring to Arsikere MLA K.M. Shivalinge Gowda’s political move to quit the JD(S) and join the Congress, Mr Revanna said the JD(S) had taken care of him very well for the last 15 years. “I wish him well. Let him go wherever he wants to go,” he said.
Reacting to Mr Shivalinge Gowda’s statement that his constituency got funds for development works when Siddaramaiah was the Chief Minister, Mr Revanna said whatever development he could bring to his constituency was because of the JD(S). “If he was not elected, how could he have developed the constituency?”
