Battle For Bengaluru- Deve Gowda Could Once Again Become Kingmaker
THE WEEK|April 29, 2018

His Janata Dal (Secular) is unlikely to win the state on its own. But, H.D. Deve Gowda’s game plan is to win Old Mysore and emerge kingmaker again

Prathima Nandakumar
Battle For Bengaluru- Deve Gowda Could Once Again Become Kingmaker

As Karnataka goes to the polls on May 12, a hung assembly seems imminent. While this is bad news for the ruling Congress and the BJP, it promises a new lease on life to Janata Dal (Secular). The regional party could once again be kingmaker.

The JD(S) cannot win on its own. Though it had a 20 per cent vote share in the previous assembly elections, it is confined to only a few districts in the Old Mysore region. But, it can ensure a triangular fight that makes it difficult for the bigger parties to get a clear majority.

Out of power for almost a decade, the JD(S) is battling dissidence, mass exodus of senior leaders, a lack of candidates and dwindling resources. The ‘Vokkaliga party’ had remained afloat by forging power-sharing alliances with the BJP and the Congress. This time, however, the JD(S) has cautiously maintained a safe distance from both parties.

At ‘Amogh’, the Bengaluru home of party patriarch Deve Gowda, a dozen security personnel are on guard. There is a steady stream of visitors, including party members, ticket aspirants, media, VIPs and astrologers. Gowda’s wife, Chennamma, 82, welcomes everyone with a warm smile. She offers the visitors coffee or a meal, depending on the time. “I never dreamed that one day he [Gowda] would enter politics or even become the prime minister,” she said. “He was a contractor when I married him. Though I never stopped him from contesting elections, I worry for him as he is getting old.”

Deve Gowda, however, seems ready to fight. “My party will go it alone,” he said. “There is no question of alliance. We will contest all 224 seats. Even if my party does not get a majority, I am prepared to sit in the opposition.” His son, state party president H.D. Kumaraswamy, seconds him.

This story is from the April 29, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April 29, 2018 edition of THE WEEK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE WEEKView All
Divides And Dividends
THE WEEK India

Divides And Dividends

Contrasting narratives on the scrapping of Article 370 define the elections in Jammu and Kashmir

time-read
4 mins  |
May 19, 2024
Playing it cool
THE WEEK India

Playing it cool

Everybody knows what 420 means in the Indian context. But in American parlance it is something very different: four-twenty or 4/20 or April 20 denotes cannabis celebration; its cultural references are rooted in the hippie culture of the 1960s and 1970s.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
The heroine's new clothes
THE WEEK India

The heroine's new clothes

Who else but Sanjay Leela Bhansali could bring on a wardrobe reset like the one in his just-dropped period piece—an eight-part Netflix series called Heeramandi?

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
AI & I
THE WEEK India

AI & I

Through her book Code Dependent—shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction—Madhumita Murgia gives voice to the voiceless multitudes impacted by artificial intelligence

time-read
4 mins  |
May 19, 2024
Untold tales from war
THE WEEK India

Untold tales from war

Camouflaged is a collection of 10 deeply researched stories, ranging from the world wars to the 26/11 terror attacks

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
Hair force
THE WEEK India

Hair force

Sheetal Mallar, in her photobook Braided, uses hair as a metaphor to tell a story that is personal yet universal

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
THE WHITE TIGER GAVE ME CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITIES
THE WEEK India

THE WHITE TIGER GAVE ME CONFIDENCE IN MY ABILITIES

The first time Adarsh Gourav made an impression was in Ramin Bahrani's 2021 film The White Tiger, a gripping adaptation of Aravind Adiga's Booker-winning novel.

time-read
4 mins  |
May 19, 2024
The art of political protest
THE WEEK India

The art of political protest

The past doesn’t always remain in the past. Sometimes, it emerges in the present, reminding us about the universality and repetitiveness of the human experience. Berlin’s George Grosz Museum, a tiny gem, is a startling reminder that modern political and social ills are not modern. Grosz lived through World Wars I and II, shining a torch into the heart of darkness in high-ranking men and women—who were complicit in the collapse of the world as they knew it.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 19, 2024
REFUELLING DYING SATELLITES
THE WEEK India

REFUELLING DYING SATELLITES

A Chennai company is making waves in the world of space tech startups

time-read
6 mins  |
May 19, 2024
DIVERSITY IN UNITY
THE WEEK India

DIVERSITY IN UNITY

THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY IN THE US HAS SEVERAL THINGS IN COMMON, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS, THERE ARE WIDELY DIFFERING OPINIONS AND FEELINGS

time-read
5 mins  |
May 19, 2024