Cracks widen in JD(S) as Bhavani, Deve Gowda’s daughter-in-law stakes claim to MLA seat | Azad Times

Bhavani Revanna, wife of MLA HD Revanna and daughter-in-law of Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda, expressed her intention to contest from the Hassan Assembly constituency. This has stirred tensions within the JD(S) ahead of the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections.

A day after Bhavani made public her eagerness to contest from Hassan, former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is Bhavani's brother-in-law, said that she would not be getting the party ticket to contest from Hassan. Bhavani’s son Prajwal Revanna is a Lok Sabha MP from Hassan and her husband HD Revanna, an MLA from Holenarasipura in Hassan. However, HD Kumaraswamy, speaking to reporters during the Pancharatna Yatra in Raichur on Thursday, January 25, poured cold water on the idea.

"When there is a capable candidate, we should not put forward someone from the family. This has been stated clearly and it is not necessary to raise this issue repeatedly. We will now ultimately decide after discussing this," HD Kumaraswamy said. He later reiterated that a decision will be taken without causing conflict within the party.

“She has been working on the ground in Hassan for many years. So it is natural that people will want her to contest. But the final decision will be taken by HD Deve Gowda, not Kumaraswamy,” a party source told TNM.

The JD(S) is hoping to wrest the Hassan seat away from the BJP, whose candidate Preetham Gowda won from the constituency in the 2018 Assembly elections defeating HS Prakash of the JD(S). HS Prakash, a four-time MLA passed away in 2018 and his son HP Swaroop is among the candidates vying for a JD(S) ticket from the constituency.

Though the JD(S) had announced candidates in 93 constituencies in the state, the party is yet to take a decision on its candidate from Hassan as there were a number of aspirants for the seat.

The Deve Gowda family is often criticised for having a number of elected representatives. While HD Deve Gowda is a Rajya Sabha MP, his sons Kumaraswamy and HD Revanna are both MLAs, his grandson Prajwal Revanna is an MP and grandson Suraj Revanna is an MLC. Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh.

Ahead of the Assembly elections in Karnataka, a fight over ticket distribution could further increase the family rift between HD Kumaraswamy and his older brother Revanna’s family. Bhavani Revanna, wife of Revanna and a former Zilla Parishad member from Hassan had declared that she will fight from the Hassan constituency on a JD(S) ticket, something that has been rejected by her brother-in-law Kumaraswamy.

On XXX, Bhavani had announced to the media that party leaders want her to contest from Hassan. Her son Prajwal Revanna is a Loksabha MP from Hassan and husband HD Revanna, an MLA from Holenarasipura in Hassan.

A day after Bhavani made the announcement, speaking to reporters during his Praja Ratna yatra, Kumaraswamy said there was no need for the party to field Bhavani as there are other ‘ordinary party workers’ capable of defeating the incumbent MLA who is from BJP.