Karnataka - Bellary   

JD(S): second-rung leaders take the reins

BELLARY: The Janata Dal (Secular) in Bellary district has been virtually rudderless after some of its top leaders left the party forcing second-rung leaders to shoulder the responsibility of ensuring success in the coming Assembly elections.

The latest instance has been that of the former Deputy Chief Minister M.P. Prakash who quit the party to join the Congress. Several other leaders including T.M. Chandrashekaraiah, the former MLA from Sirguppa; Ayyali Thimmappa who unsuccessfully contested the two previous elections and L. Siddanagowda, the party’s former district unit president, along with their followers, too also left the party.

Hitherto, Mr. Prakash was the undisputed leader of the party in the district and had a very good following. He enjoyed absolute powers to take decisions on almost all affairs of the party in the district. His decisions were accepted by the party leaders and workers. The JD(S) had, in the previous election, won three seats — Hadagali, Sandur and Kurgodu represented by Mr. Prakash, Santosh Lad and N. Suryanarayan Reddy respectively.

With Mr. Prakash joining the Congress along with Mr. Lad, and Mr. Reddy not making his stand clear on whether he would be leading the party or not in the elections, there are hardly any senior leaders except a few like N. Thippanna, MLC, left to take the lead.

Mr. Tippanna, who has not yet swung into action, said that he would work sincerely and discharge all the responsibilities given to him by the party high command.

In the absence of any alternative and with the elections nearing, second-rung leaders have been forced to take over the reins of the party.

Gulagi Nagaraj, who was recently reinstated as president of he district unit, along with the former chairman of Bellary Urban Development Authority N. Pratap Reddy and the former Minister M. Diwakar Babu who joined the party, are among the second-rung leaders.

“Our leader is H.D. Kumaraswamy. Our efforts would be to rejuvenate and refurbish our links with the party workers at the grassroots level and prepare them to fight in the elections,” Pratap Reddy, the party’s State unit general secretary said.

Party leaders and workers in the Assembly constituencies had been asked to decide on the candidates in their respective areas, and the list would be forwarded to the party high command, he said.

“The idea was to give more responsibility to the local leaders on selection of candidates,” he said.

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