JD(S) forms core committee without Gowda family members

The JD(S) has formed a core committee – minus the members of party supremo H D Deve Gowda’s family – to take decisions on matters related to the party. As many as 11 members have been appointed to the core committee.

 Interestingly, MLAs Zameer Ahmed Khan and Cheluvarayaswamy, who are not on good terms with H D Kumaraswamy, find no place in the committee. 

The members on the panel are MLCs Basavaraj Horatti and Syed Mudir Aga, Mandya MP C S Puttaraju, MLAs H K Kumar­aswamy, Madhu Bangarappa and Chikkamadu, former legislators Sirivanth Patil, Venkatarao Nadagouda, Venkat­ashiva Reddy, Bandeappa Kashampur, and former IAS officer Dr S Subramanya, according to a press release issued by S Narayana Rao, the party’s interim state president.

The inclusion of Subramanya is seen as a move by the party to have a full-time member, to draw action plans for winning elections. His experience as former BBMP commissioner may also come in handy with the Palike elections due next year, it is said. Sources in the party said the panel had been set up to bring better co-ordination among members who are at loggerheads. 

The committee has to take decisions with the consent of the party national president Deve Gowda. The appointment of Subramanya has raised many eyebrows as he was not active in the party for the last four years. It is said even caste had been taken into consideration while making the selections.

Party sources said the core committee was just “nominal as final decisions are left to the leaders in Padmanabhanagar” (meaning the Deve Gowda clan).It is said that for close to two years, Subramanya had been trying to build the party in Madikeri, Virajpet and other parts of Kodagu.