Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said the Janata Dal (S) had not yet decided on its candidate for the Rajya Sabha elections, even though JD(S) and Congress sources indicated that it could be the party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda.
“Mr. Gowda has always been one of the people and has always fought for their cause. He has been elected by the people, so he is not keen to take a backdoor entry,” Mr. Kumaraswamy told reporters at Channapatna on Tuesday. To a question on a coalition with the Congress, he asked, “Where is the coalition?”
While JD(S) member Kupendra Reddy is among the four legislators retiring from the State, the party, with its strength of 34 in the Legislative Assembly, cannot win a seat on its own and will require Congress support. If Mr. Gowda enters the fray and wins, it would be his second entry to the Upper House, after having done so as Prime Minister in 1996.
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JD(S) sources said though Mr. Gowda was not keen to contest, he has been convinced to do so. “The Congress high command and local leaders have also indicated their support if he contests,” a source said, adding that though the leader was not interested in gaining a backdoor entry, there was no election in sight either. “It is also felt that leaders like Mr. Gowda and M. Mallikarjun Kharge should be in Parliament.”
On the other reasons for Mr. Gowda not being keen to contest, sources said it would be difficult for the JD(S) to fight the Congress in its traditional Old Mysore base if he took support from the party, especially with another Vokkaliga leader D.K. Shivakumar helming it in the State.