Prajwal loses family bastion to Congress’s Shreyas Patel

Prajwal Revanna, grandson of JD(S) president and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, who contested as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate, was defeated by a margin of 42,649 votes

Suspended Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna, who was recently arrested on charges of sexual abuse, was defeated from his Lok Sabha constituency and family bastion of Hassan in Karnataka by Congress’s Shreyas Patel on Tuesday.

On May 31, Prajwal was arrested by a SIT shortly after he returned from Germany, where he had been staying since April 27, a day after polling in Hassan (PTI)

Revanna, grandson of JD(S) president and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, who contested as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate, was defeated by a margin of 42,649 votes. While Prajwal secured 630,339 votes, Patel won 672,988 votes.

In the 2019 elections, Revanna had won against BJP’s A Manju by a margin of 141,324 votes.

“I am not happy with the results in Hassan. We have committed some mistakes, else we would have won another four to five seats,” JD(S) chief HD Kumaraswamy said as the party secured wins in only two out of 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The JD(S) held the Hassan seat for seven terms, since 1991, except in 1999 when the Congress won.

Asked about Revanna’s defeat, state BJP chief BY Vijayendra said: “The seats that we lost… including Hassan, we will discuss the reasons behind the defeat in detail.”

In the week before the elections in Hassan, pen drives containing videos of purported sexual acts by Prajwal with multiple women were circulated, immediately sparking allegations of mass sexual abuse.

On May 1, an FIR was registered in the case, against Prajwal Revanna and his father HD Revanna, based on a complaint by a 47-year-old woman who worked in their home in Holenarasipura, for alleged abuse between 2019 and 2022. HD Revanna is out on bail after spending three days in jail in connection with the allegations.

On May 31, Prajwal was arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) shortly after he returned from Germany, where he had been staying since April 27, a day after polling in Hassan. SIT is probing at least four cases against the 33-year-old.