Assembly polls: Massive ‘son’ rise in Mysuru region

Besides Mantar Gowda, A S Ponnanna of Congress also won the Virajpet segment against former Speaker K G Bopaiah of the BJP

There has been a massive ‘son’ rise in the Mysuru region, in the recently concluded Karnataka Legislative Assembly election.

While two sons have entered the Assembly with their respective fathers, some of them have gotten an opportunity after a couple or more attempts earlier.

G D Harish Gowda of the JD(S) from Hunsur is entering the Vidhana Soudha along with his father G T Devegowda, a veteran from Chamundeshwari of the same party. Manthar Gowda of the Congress is entering from Madikeri along with his father A Manju, a veteran from Arkalgud, on a JD(S) ticket. Earlier, in 2018, Dr Yathindra of the Congress had entered as Varuna MLA, along with his father former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who was elected from Badami of Bagalokt district, then.

While Harish, also Vice-President of Karnataka Apex Bank, and Devegowda, have won from the same Mysuru district, Mantar has won from Kodagu district and his father Manju from the neighbouring Hassan district. Mantar was also a Congress candidate from Kodagu local authorities constituency to the Legislative Council in 2021. Harish had sought the JD(S) ticket from Hunsur in 2018. Following denial, there was rift within his family with that of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, which was resolved just before the election.

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Besides Mantar Gowda, A S Ponnanna of the Congress, son of late A K Subbaiah of the same district, Kodagu, also won the Virajpet segment against former Speaker K G Bopaiah of the BJP.

Ajjikuttira Subbaiah Ponnanna is the son of the late A K Subbaiah, a High Court advocate, also one of the founding members of the BJP in Karnataka. Subbaiah was elected as MLC from the erstwhile Jan Sangh, a predecessor to the BJP.

During the initial years, Subbaiah served as president of the Karnataka unit of BJP. The BJP won 18 MLAs in the 1983 Assembly election, under his leadership, to join the Ramakrishna Hegde-led government. However, Subbaiah lost the election from Virajpet. Subbaiah was expelled from the BJP, due to ideological differences. Thus, he formed his own Kannada Nadu Party and then joined the Congress, to become MLC and served as Opposition Leader in the Legislative Council.

The other ‘sons’ of prominent leaders, who have won the Assembly poll now, are: Darshan Dhruvanarayana from Nanjangud on a Congress ticket. He is an advocate and son of the late KPCC working president R Dhruvanarayana, who died on March 11. His mother too died on April 7. Thus, the JD(S) did not field any candidate against him. T Narsipur MLA-elect from the neighbouring T Narsipur segment and former minister H C Mahadevappa gave up his claim to Nanjangud Congress ticket.

Darshan Puttannaiah, MLA-elect from Melkote segment of Sarvodaya Karnataka Party (SKP), is the son of the late farmer leader K S Puttannaiah, who was also an MLA from Melkote and also erstwhile Pandavapura segments. Darshan is an entrepreneur in the USA.

H P Swaroop of JD(S) from Hassan segment is the son of the late MLA H S Prakash, who had won four terms from the same segment. H M Ganesh Prasad has won as Congress candidate from Gundlupet. He is the son of the late Congress leaders H S Mahadev Prasad and M C Mohanakumari (Geetha Mahadev Prasad), both of whom were ministers.

D Ravishankar of the Congress from KR Nagar is the son of the late Doddaswamegowda, who had unsuccessfully contested against former minister Sa Ra Mahesh in 2013. Ravishankar also had contested the 2018 poll against Mahesh.