CHIKKAMAGALURU: Although then chief minister Devaraj Urs took much of the credit for her victory in the byelection from Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha seat in November 1978, Indira Gandhi owed her success more to DB Chandre Gowda, the local MP.
Defeated in her pocket borough Rae Bareli in UP by Janata Party maverick politician Raj Narain and thrown out of office in the post-Emergency general elections in 1977, the win gave Indira political rebirth. From being an also-ran, she returned triumphant to Parliament, defeating Janata Party rival Veerendra Patil by 77,333 votes.
It was Gowda, the local commander and then Chikkamagaluru MP, who made it possible. Not only did he vacate the seat, which he had won by a handsome margin, but he also masterminded Indira’s campaign — a bitterly fought battle between Indira and arch enemy, George Fernandes. “It was Gowda who prevailed on Urs to get Indira to contest from Chikkamagaluru,” said a senior Congress functionary from the district.
“He promised Urs that he would ensure her victory.” Deputy CM and KPCC president DK Shivakumar endorsed this saying: “He drew attention at the national level.” Another Congress functionary said: “Local voters did not know English and barely understood Hindi, the two languages Indira could communicate in.
Even in urban areas, few knew Hindi. But Gowda made sure the slogan coined by Indira’s supporters, ‘Ek sherni sou langur Chikkamagaluru bhai Chikkamagaluru’ reached the rural masses by translating it in Kannada. Indira became ‘Indiramma’ virtually overnight.” Yet Indira’s margin was lower than what Gowda had achieved in the general election two years previously.
Ironically, within two years, Gowda was in the Janata Party ranks and finally with BJP decades later. Gowda, who had represented all four houses — the legislative assembly, council, Lok Sabha, and Rajya Sabha — was also part of various political parties, such as the Praja Socialist Party, Karnataka Kranti Ranga and Janata Dal, besides Congress, Janata Party and BJP.
A lawyer, Gowda entered p o l i t i c s i n 1971. He was a Lok Sabha MP thrice and Raj y a S a b h a once. After vacating the seat for Indira, he served as a Congress MLC from 1978 to 1983, and a minister in Urs’ cabinet. Later, with the change in political scenario, he quit Congress along with Urs and joined Karnataka Kranti Ranga. Gowda represented the Janata Party from Thirthahalli constituency twice and once from Sringeri on a Congress ticket.
He went on to become law and parliamentary affairs minister in the SM Krishna government. He was a Rajya Sabha member in 1986, representing the Janata Party, which later became Janata Dal. Gowda joined BJP in 2009 and won the Bengaluru North Lok Sabha seat. Gowda also served as speaker of the legislative assembly from 1983 to 1985 and as a leader of the opposition in both the assembly and council.
Chief minister Siddaramaiah said: “His death is a loss to Karnataka politics. He was a clever politician who had in-depth knowledge of literature.” Former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai said, “He had a unique personality and carved a place for himself in politics. The state has lost an honest politician. May his soul rest in peace.”