JD(S) MLA says difficult to continue with party

Sitting Arsikere MLA and Janata Dal (Secular) or JD (S) leader KM Shivalinge Gowda on Sunday expressed his desire to leave the party, saying that he will decide his next course of action soon.

Sitting Arsikere MLA and Janata Dal (Secular) or JD (S) leader KM Shivalinge Gowda on Sunday expressed his desire to leave the party, saying that he will decide his next course of action soon.

Party leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, without naming Gowda, said that the legislator has been trying to join the Congress for three years.

“It is difficult to continue in JD(S). I will decide my next course of action after calling a meeting of people and my supporters soon,” Gowda told HT.

Gowda further said that he wasn’t invited to the JD (S) workers’ meeting in Arsikere on Sunday. “I visited H D Deve Gowda twice and alleged that JDS leaders brought workers to today’s meeting by distributing money,” he said.

People close to Gowda said he would join the Congress soon. Last week, an audio clip went viral on social media in which a voice similar to the MLA could be heard saying that he would win by a margin of over 50,000 votes in Arsikere if contested by a Congress ticket. HT can’t verify the authenticity of the audio.

Party leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, without naming Gowda, said that the legislator has been trying to join the Congress for three years.

“For three years, the legislator has been trying to join Congress, and Congress leaders have said he would join the party as well,” Kumaraswamy said at the party workers’ convention.

Kumaraswamy further said that a Kuruba community leader would be fielded in the Arsikere constituency for the upcoming state assembly elections, as “Kodi mutt pontiff said a Kuruba Community leader would become the MLA from Arsikere”.

He said that Kuruba leader Ashok Banavara would be “lucky”, hinting that he might be the candidate.

Meanwhile, JD (S) leaders who attended the party convention slammed Gowda for his statements.

“The leaders condemned the attitude of the MLA and alleged he had no courtesy to meet party supremo H D Deve Gowda when he was ill,” leaders close to development said.