Hassan: Even as Congress leader and former minister A. Manju rejoined the BJP on Sunday, his son Manthar Gowda, a Zilla Panchayat member of the Congress is undecided on his future and is expected to take a decision in a couple of days after holding parleys with his Youth Congress colleagues and Zilla Panchayat president Swetha Devraj.
Manthar Gowda told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday that a meeting will be convened shortly to decide on what needs to be done after his father rejoined the BJP to contest the Hassan Lok Sabha poll. Those close to Manthar said Manju would have supported the candidature of JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda if he had sought re-election from Hassan but the entry of Gowda’s grandson Prajwal made Manju quit the Congress. If Gowda was the candidate, it would have benefitted Hassan district but not an inexperienced Prajwal and this was the factor which made Manju exit from the Congress.
In the 2018 assembly election, Congress nominees were defeated in all seven seats of Hassan and the party scored a blank in the poll. Javagal Manjunath, district president of Hassan Congress, said he was pained by the decision of Manju but assured that the Congress party will be built under his and MLC Gopalaswami's guidance.
