Election that has brought old foes together

BENGALURU: Many political foes turned friends during this Lok Sabha election in Karnataka, not out of any newfound love, but owing to political compulsions. Just a year ago, some of them were hell bent on ending each other’s political careers.


The biggest new friendships of the season is that of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his protégétur ned-foe-tur ned-saviour Siddaramaiah. Ever since Siddaramaiah left the JD(S) in 2006 owing to his differences with Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy, they were baying for each other’s blood and leaving no stone unturned to finish off one another in politics. Kumaraswamy and Siddaramaiah on many occasions engaged in nasty verbal duels and their enmity, and the personal attacks, peaked during the 2018 assembly polls. But the fractured verdict in 2018 assembly elections and the subsequent decision of AICC president Rahul Gandhi to support Kumaraswamy as chief minister changed the scenario.

Siddaramaiah silently resisted the decision and refused to toe the line, but a nudge from Rahul made him turn around. Gowda, Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy have not only shared the dais on many occasions for this election; they’ve also vigorously campaigned for candidates of each other’s parties.

In Kalaburagi, Congress veteran Mallikarjun M Kharge, who is facing a tough challenge from BJP’s Umesh V Jadhav, has extended an olive branch to his adversary of three decades, Gurmatkal JD(S) MLA Naganagouda Kandakur. Their enmity took root when Kharge was MLA of Gurmatkal and Kandakur was one of his political opponents.

After efforts to pacify Kandakur through his minister-son Priyank Kharge and other district leaders failed to get him to join the campaign, Kharge himself went to the JD(S) MLA’s house last week in an effort build bridges.

“This patch-up between the pair came as a big surprise. They were at loggerheads for two decades,” said Bhimashankar, a Congress leader from Yadgir.

In Shivamogga, Bhadravati was known for the decades-old political enmity between Congress MLA BK Sangamesh and JD(S) former MLA N Appaji Gowda. They have joined hands and to work for coalition candidate Madhu Bangarappa. Kumaraswamy also voted for Congress (DK Suresh, Bengaluru Rural) for the first time in his life.