It's official: JD(S) chief Deve Gowda is the coalition candidate from Tumakuru.
Highlights
- Congress' SP Muddahanumegowda withdrew his nomination to Tumakuru seat
- The coalition partners had chosen to field HD Deve Gowda from Tumakuru
- Tumakuru was allotted to JDS as part of the alliance's seat-sharing pact
After keeping the ruling alliance in Karnataka on tenterhooks for days, Congress leader SP Muddahanumegowda finally withdrew his nomination to the Tumakuru seat today. He had been adamantly holding on to his candidature despite the party leadership's decision to let Janata Dal(Secular) chief HD Deve Gowda be the official coalition candidate from the constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Tumakuru was one of the eight seats allotted to the Janata Dal(Secular) as part of the seat-sharing arrangement between the two parties. The regional party later handed one of the seats - Bengaluru North - to the Congress, but held on to Tumakuru.
Mr Muddahanumegowda, the sitting Congress parliamentarian from Tumakuru, was extremely unhappy over not being given a ticket again. Although Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara took up his case, the Janata Dal(Secular) was firm on keeping the seat for the former Prime Minister. Things got complicated when the Congress lawmaker filed his nomination despite the ruling coalition fielding Mr Gowda as its official candidate.
The issue was resolved this morning, after Mr Parameshwara and state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao met the indignant party lawmaker. As today was the last day for withdrawing nominations to the 14 seats in Karnataka that go to vote on April 18, Mr Muddahanumegowda has spared the coalition considerable embarrassment by standing down.
Mr Rao said he and Mr Parameshwara had a very fruitful discussion with the Congress lawmaker, after which the latter agreed to back off in the larger interests of the party. "Congress president Rahul Gandhi had also spoken to Muddahanumegowda, and he understood the implications of not withdrawing from the contest. There should be no confusion. Deve Gowdaji is contesting from Tumakuru, and having a Congress candidate fighting against him as a rebel would have sent have the wrong message," he added.
The Janata Dal(Secular) chief had earlier told NDTV that it was up to the Congress to take "appropriate action" against Mr Muddahanumegowda. "If anybody violates party directives, action must be taken against that person," he said.
The Lok Sabha elections will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19, and the votes will be counted on May 23.