Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Revanna’s son Prajwal has ruled himself out of election owing to his age, even as the party finds itself in a conundrum over fielding suitable candidates in key constituencies such as Chikkaballapur, Bangalore Rural and Mandya.
“The first call and offer was made to me by my grandfather (H D Deve Gowda) to contest from Hassan. However, since I am only 23 years of age, I cannot contest an election,” he said.
A poll candidate should be at least 25 years old, as per the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
When contacted, Prajwal told Deccan Herald that he was trying to gain a foothold in the Old Mysore region and prepare the ground for the next Assembly elections in 2018. So, the JD(S) has entrusted him with the job of campaigning in Kunigal, Chamarajanagar and T Narsipura constituencies, he said.
In a recent interview to this newspaper, JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda had said that he wanted Prajwal to concentrate on his studies and complete his Master’s in Technology before entering active politics. It is now fairly certain that Prajwal may contest either the Assembly elections of 2018 or the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
JD(S) sources said that while there was immense pressure from the local leaders in the Old Mysore region to field Bhavani, wife of Revanna, from Mandya, the party national president was not agreeable to the proposal.