JD(S) grooms third-generation leader

BANGALORE: Within days of their poll drubbing, the Gowdas of JD(S) are blooding their third generation into politics.
On Monday, for the first time, former PM HD Deve Gowda’s grandson Nikhil Gowda (son of former CM HD Kumaraswamy) took part in a public cause and courted arrest. He, along with a group of JD(S) workers, were protesting the toll hike on the airport road.The public event was carefully scripted.
“I wanted to wait for 3-4 years. But after the results, the party workers are dejected. I thought it's the right time to take the leap and give a wake-up call to our cadres,’’ Nikhil told TOI.
In the Lok Sabha polls, Nikhil campaigned for his father in Chikkaballapur and in Ramanagaram for the party candidate. Earlier, he was seen publicly with his parents only on voting day.
Meanwhile, Gowda’s other grandson Prajwal, son of HD Revanna, is taking the party reins in Hassan, the family’s bastion. The engineering graduate took charge of Gowda’s campaign in the LS polls. The Gowda clan thinks it’s the right time for its third generation to rise as its fortunes haven’t been rosy. It lost its stronghold Bangalore Rural to Congress, while Kumaraswamy lost in Chikkaballapur. In the LS polls, the party won just two seats and garnered only 11% votes, a dip from 20.45% in 2004.
The entry of 26-year-old Nikhil is not without a reason. Gowda turned 82 on Sunday and Kumaraswamy is finding it tough to manage the party alone. Revanna has confined himself to Hassan. Also, the party doesn’t have second-rung leaders with a pan-Karnataka appeal.
What do his father and grandfather say about his plans? “I’m tense in my grandfather’s presence. I have a lot of respect for him. I’m very friendly with my father. We read newspapers together and discuss various issues,’’ says Nikhil.