Nikhil Kumaraswamy
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Speculation is rife about the possibility of Nikhil Kumaraswamy being appointed the president of the Karnataka JD(S) at the party’s national executive meeting scheduled on November 21 and 22 in Bengaluru.
A senior JD(S) leader told DH, “The party will announce the president of the Karnataka unit of the JD(S) on November 22. Union Minister and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is currently heading the party’s state unit, but it was ad hoc arrangement necessitated by the expulsion of former president C M Ibrahim from the party.”
The senior party leader expressed dismay over the fact that few in the JD(S) had volunteered to head the party’s core committee. “Who else is there? Nikhil has proved that he can shoulder the responsibility. During the recent state-wide tour that he both planned and participated in, he interacted with a number of party cadre working at the grassroots,” the senior leader added.
Capability and not seniority would be the deciding factor in the selection of the next president of Karnataka JD(S), said another party leader. “Nikhil has a vision for the party, and it’s time someone young was appointed to head the Karnataka unit of the JD(S),” he added.
Meanwhile, the mood in the JD(S) is understandably upbeat given that the party is slated to commemorate its 25th anniversary. Setting the significance of the event in perspective, JD(S) leader Krishna Reddy said, “It’s not easy for a regional party to stay relevant for 25 years. But former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has been successful in leading the party from the front. We will celebrate this milestone on November 22.”
The former PM is set to flag off the commemorative event on the second day of the national executive committee meeting, Reddy told journalists in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
JD(S) floor leader in the Assembly C B Suresh Babu said that the party would take out a massive rally to mark its Silver Jubilee in January.