Bengaluru: Prominent Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leaders-Marithibbe Gowda and Appajji Gowda, both former Legislative Council members quit the party in Mandya giving it a jolt when the State President of JDS and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is all set to contest the Mandya seat in the ensuing polls. But, leaders in JDS Mandya Unit expressed confidence that the “desertion will not have an impact on the outcome of the poll results in the ensuing Lok sabha election.”
Marithibbe Gowda and Appaji Gowda joined the Congress party in Bengaluru on Friday in presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiaha nd Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Prior to him joining the Congress party, Marithibbe Gowda tendered his resignation as an MLC. While, Marithibbe Gowda represented Legislative Council four times from South Teachers Constituency, Appaji Gowda had won from Mandya Local Bodies election to enter Council once.
Former MLC Marithibbe Gowda accused the JDS of not supporting him and the decisions of the party are in favour of a family (JDS national president and former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda).Marithibbe Gowda said he raised on many issues in JDS and also opposed anti-farming laws but to no avail.
The desertion by Marithibbe Gowda and Appaji Gowda could make the things difficult for JDS in winning Mandya Lok Sabha seat, said sources in Mandy by pointing at the rebellion by Marithibbe Gowda against JDS and worked for the success of Congress nominee Dinesh Gooligowda in Legislative Council polls from Mandya Local Bodies seat. The Congress nominee Dinesh Gooligowda won the seat.
Janata Dal Secular and Congress party have a strong hold over the Mandya Lok Sabha seat and their nominees have won the seat in turns. JDS won the Mandya seat in 2009 and 2014 before it lost the seat to independent nominee Sumalatha Ambareesh. The Congress party won the Mandya Lok Sabha seat in 1989, 1991, 1999, 2004 and 2013 Mandya Lok Sabha by-poll.
In 2019, JDS and Congress were in an alliance and Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of JDS State Unit President and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy contested the Mandya Lok Sabha seat as a consensus nominee against independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh. In the election, Nikhil Kumaraswamy was defeated by Sumalatha and in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, JDS hopes to make a comeback in the seat and it is said that H.D. Kumaraswamy is all set to contest the seat.
Mandya JDS District President Ramesh Babu told Deccan Chronicle on Friday that Marithibbe Gowda and Appaji Gowda had maintained distance from the party and JDS is a cadre based party and none of the party workers go behind them except for some.
“The quitting of Mathibbe Gowda and Appaji Gowda is negligible considering that former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is all set top conterst from Mandya seat,” said Ramesh Babu.
