The Hindu : Gowda's dilemma leaves partymen confused

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Gowda's dilemma leaves partymen confused

By Muralidhar Khajane

HASSAN, FEB. 22. The reported disinterest of the Janata Dal (Secular) President and former Prime Minister, H.D. Deve Gowda, to seek re-election to the Lok Sabha has caused confusion among party leaders and workers of the district.

Mr. Gowda is reported to have said that contesting the elections would restrict him to only one constituency and that he would not be able to campaign for the party candidates as vigorously as he would wish to do. However, family sources said that though there were invitations to Mr. Gowda to stand for the elections from Mysore, Mandya, Tumkur, Kanakapura, and Hassan parliamentary constituencies, Mr. Gowda had narrowed his choice to either Hassan or Kanakapura.

G. Puttaswamy Gowda defeated Mr. Gowda for the Hassan seat in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections, and the former Prime Minister entered Parliament in the byelections held for the Kanakapura seat in 2002. But Mr. Gowda is inclined to contest from Hassan.

The picture is not clear in the Congress camp also with Mr. Puttaswamy Gowda expressing his inability to contest this time citing health grounds. He is reported to be keen on contesting from the Holenarsipur Assembly constituency.

Though the Revenue Minister and district in-charge, H.C. Srikantaiah, has expressed disinterest in contesting the elections — either to the Assembly or the Lok Sabha — the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) is planning to field him for the Hassan Lok Sabha seat. However, Mr. Srikantaiah recently clarified that he would abide by the decision of the High Command.

According to sources in the KPCC, there was an attempt to field the Gandsi MLA, B. Shivaram, and if he did not get the ticket, the Sakleshpur MLA, B.B. Shivappa, would be cajoled to contest. But Mr. Shivappa has that he was not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha elections.

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