Karnataka - Mysore

JD(S) loses its ground in Chamarajanagar

MYSORE: The Janata Dal (Secular), which was a force to reckon with in Chamarajanagar, has lost its ground in the district after prominent leaders deserted the party.

At a time when the Janata Dal (S) was facing leadership crisis in the district, Chamarajanagar MP M. Shivanna was expelled for defying the party whip and voting in favour of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government in the recent trust vote.

Mr. Shivanna remained in the party even after his mentor V. Srinivas Prasad, former Union Minister, joined the Congress before the recent Assembly elections.

According to Mr. Shivanna, he voted in favour of the UPA Government because Janata Dal (S) president Deve Gowda’s decision to join hands with the “third front” dashed his hopes of becoming a Union Minister.

The Janata Dal (S) had a strong base in the district till recently. Three MLAs from the party — H.S. Mahadeva Prasad of Gundlupet, Parimala Nagappa of Hanur and S. Balaraj, who won from Kollegal as an independent and identified with the Janata Dal (S) after elections, — represented the district in the previous Assembly.

Even when the party faced a humiliating defeat in other parts of the State in the last general elections, Mr. Shivanna won the Chamarajanagar seat. The only other seat which the party won was Hassan (Mr. Deve Gowda).

Prominent leaders from the district deserted the party after M.P. Prakash quit the Janata Dal (S). While Mr. Mahadeva Prasad joined the Congress, Ms. Nagappa joined the Bahujan Samaj Party.

However, attempts of Mr. Balaraj to join the BJP in the run up to the Assembly elections failed.

A.R. Krishnamurthy, another prominent leader quit the party and joined the BJP recently. According to Mr. Krishnamurthy, he was forced to quit the Janata Dal (S) after he was “humiliated” by the party leaders. Mr. Krishnamurthy said he was hurt when the party refused to nominate him to the Legislative Council.

Mr. Krishnamurthy, the lone Dalit leader of the Janata Dal (S) in the Mysore region after the exit of Siddaramaiah, H.C. Mahadevappa and D.T. Jayakumar from the party, was hopeful that the party would filed him in the elections to strengthen its base in the region.

However, the party nominated K.V. Narayanaswamy of Arkalgud.

Members of the Chamarajanagar Zilla Panchayat such as Shylaja Mallesh, Muniraju and Nagaraj followed Mr. Krishnamurthy.

With the expulsion of Mr. Shivanna, the Janata Dal (S) has lost its last link with the district.

It is said that Mr. Srinivasa Prasad had assured Mr. Shivanna that he would be given Congress ticket to contest the next general elections from Chamarajanagar.

Party workers in Chamarajanagar are left in lurch as there are no prominent leaders in the district.

Meanwhile, Janata Dal (S) leader Y.S.V. Datta has told The Hindu that the party would not tolerate insubordination, and expulsion of Mr. Shivanna would not have any impact on the party’s base in the district.

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