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Journalism of Courage
Three days before Preetham Gowda filed his nomination from Hassan, Karnataka, a massive crowd gathered on the streets of the city on April 14 to support incumbent BJP MLA. The same evening, in Bengaluru, top Janata Dal (Secular) leaders announced the party’s second list for polls in which Swaroop Prakash found a place from the seat in south Karnataka.
The JD(S) move was being closely watched as the candidature from Hassan had become a point of contestation within the family of former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda. His daughter-in-law Bhavani Revanna, the wife of Holenarasipur MLA H D Revanna, had laid claim to the seat for her electoral debut. Opposed to the idea, former CM HD Kumaraswamy remarked that his sister-in-law would not be able to win the seat. The move to offer the ticket to Swaroop, the son of four-time Hassan MLA H S Prakash who passed away in 2018, was presented as giving preference to a party worker over a family member. The battle lines have thus been set, with the JD(S) aiming to wrest control of its stronghold from the ruling party.
There are 2,12,952 electors in Hassan, with Vokkaligas being the dominant electoral group. The community is the key base support base of the JD(S), comprising 35% of the electorate (75,000 voters). The seat also has a sizable Muslim population of 31,000 (14%), followed by Lingayats (16,000), and Scheduled Tribes (25,000).
In 2018, Preetham Gowda defeated H S Prakash by 13,000 votes, ending the latter’s winning streak (2004, 2008 and 2013).
Gowda is aiming to hold on to the seat by getting more support from Muslims. “I am contesting elections based on developmental work carried out in Hassan. I am fighting the elections on the promise of fixing roads and drainage systems, and regularising houses of 4,000 Muslim families,” he told The Indian Express.
Accusing the JD(S) of “using Muslims only during elections”, Gowda said, “Muslims usually stick to traditional local jobs. The JD(S) is in control of many education institutions, cooperative banks, and other institutions but has not employed any Muslims.”
Meanwhile, Swaroop, who is making his electoral debut, is planning to counter Gowda on “corruption, poor developmental work, and arrogance”.
Asked about the Gowda family feud over the ticket, Swaroop said, “The elections will be fought under the leadership of Revanna. Both Revanna and Kumaraswamy will be campaigning with me in Hassan. In 2018, there were some differences within the party and we could not consolidate the minority vote. This time, we will set everything right and fight unitedly.”
He added, “Hassan is our headquarters and there is no question of giving up. My father was a simple man. He was reachable, boosted tourism and employment in Hassan. That is the legacy I would like to pursue.”
Sources in the JD(S) said Swaroop was fielded to “send a message that the party looks beyond nepotism and supports the real karyakartas of the party”.
But the candidature of Swaroop, who belongs to the same Dasa Vokkaliga subsect as the Deve Gowda family, may have divided the party base.
“We had high hopes that Bhavani Revanna would be fielded from Hassan. After the death of H S Prakash, Bhavani worked hard to build the party from the grassroots. She was also at the forefront during Covid, helping people,” said a party councillor.
Reacting to Swaroop’s candidature, Revanna, who lobbied hard for his wife, has said, “Bhavani has been firm that Deve Gowda’s health is of prime importance and that she is ready for any sacrifice. For the last two years, there has been a demand from supporters to field Bhavani from Hassan. Some people also challenged me that if I don’t get 50,000 votes, I should resign. Which is why some supporters wanted Bhavani to make her electoral debut. I am not disappointed with Swaroop getting the ticket. I will stand by what Deve Gowda says and we believe his health is more important to us.”
Congress candidate B Rangaswamy said the JD(S) and the BJP had brought Hassan to a “sorry state”. He added, “The people of Hassan believe in simplicity and leading a dignified life. Corrupt leaders such as Swaroop, who is entangled in the JD(S) family infighting, and Preetham Gowda gave pushed Hassan to a sorry state. I aim to create job opportunities for the youth and bring investment.”
Meanwhile, voters in Hassan seem to be divided about the candidates. Sanafullah, a scrap dealer, said, “Preetham has brought changes in Hassan, with new roads and a fixed drainage system. The work that would have taken 20 years for the JD(S) to do, he did in 5 years. But, as a Muslim, I will never side with the BJP. My vote is for the JD(S). Swaroop is a candidate who I believe will also work with people.”
Mubashir Ahmed, an engineer in the timber business, said, “The JD(S) has always been dictatorial. There is no value for the educated in the JD(S) and I was a victim of that when I was in the party in the 1990s. Swaroop’s father was not able to work independently without any pressure from the Gowda family. It is impossible for Swaroop to have his way in political affairs. Preetham, on the other hand, is able to work and have close ties with people across all caste groups. However, I think Hassan will throw up a surprise by making the Congress win with the influence of Siddaramaiah.”
Suprith Gowda, a student activist, spoke of the lack of employment opportunities in the area. “Gowda has done nothing for the development of Hassan. All he has done is put asphalt on the roads that were already asphalted. They can wear out anytime during the next Monsoon. There is not enough investment to bring IT companies into Hassan, despite the city having prestigious engineering colleges. Graduates are seeking employment in Mysore and Bengaluru and are not able to stay back in Hassan.”
