Karnataka Election 2023: 5 Points On Former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy

Karnataka is going to see a triangular fight between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress and Janata Dal (Secular), or JD(S), in the assembly polls this year. While both the national parties are going all-out bid to power, JD(S) is focusing on the regions where it has a strong presence.

JD(S) leader and former Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy led a state-wide Panchratna Rath Yatra to garner support for his party. The yatra, which began on November 1 last year, ended in Mysuru on March 26. 

Mr Kumaraswamy will be contesting from Channapatna seat this time for a second consecutive term. JD(S) has already announced the first list of 93 candidates for the assembly polls.

Here are five points about HD Kumaraswamy:

• HD Kumaraswamy was elected to Lok Sabha for the first time from Kanakapura seat in the 1996 general elections. His father HD Deve Gowda had also represented this constituency.
• In the 1999 Karnataka assembly elections, Mr Kumaraswamy lost from Sathanur seat to Congress's DK Shivakumar. He was elected to the assembly for the first time in 2004 from Ramanagara constituency.
• Mr Kumaraswamy has served as Chief Minister twice - between February 2006 and October 2007, and from May 2018 to July 2019.
• He resigned as the Chief Minister in July 2019 after his coalition government lost the trust vote.
• Recently, Mr Kumaraswamy said the 2028 election will be his last assembly election, though he would remain active in politics. In the 2018 election, he won from both Ramanagara and Channapatna seats.