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Deve Gowda picks Tumkur seat, ally Congress’s sitting MP wants to fight him
The 85-year-old JD(S) patriarch had earlier expressed doubts about contesting the polls, saying he was thinking about his “usefulness” in Delhi.
The Janata Dal (Secular) on Saturday announced that former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda would contest from the Tumkur seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
The JD (S) will fight the Karnataka polls, to be held in two phases on 18 and 23 April, in alliance with the Congress.
The coalition, which is also in power in the state, reached a seat sharing agreement earlier this month, with Congress contesting 20 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats, and JD(S) contesting eight, including Tumkur, which the Congress currently holds. Gowda’s grandsons Prajwal Revanna and Nikhil Kumar will contest from Hassan and Mandya, respectively.
According to a statement by JD(S) spokesperson Ramesh Babu, “Former Prime Minister and JD(S) National president HD Deve Gowda will contest from Tumkur Parliamentary constituency as JD(S) and Congress combined candidate.” Gowda will file his nomination on Monday, the statement added.
A senior JD(S) leader who did not wish to be named said Deve Gowda was finally influenced by the fact that the party had a good hold on the district. “The party had also considered the Bangalore North seat. However, it was felt that the JD(S)’s hold on Tumkur was greater.”
Meanwhile, SP Muddahanumegowda, the sitting Congress member of Parliament from Tumkur announced his intention to file his nomination as the Congress candidate on Monday.
Also read: Deve Gowda breaks down as he announces grandson’s name for Hassan seat
