H D Deve Gowda, Nikhil Kumaraswamy to tour Karnataka for reviving JD(S)

Bengaluru: Former prime minister and JD(S) president Deve Gowda on Sunday announced that he, along with his grandson and JD(S) youth wing chief Nikhil Kumaraswamy would undertake a statewide tour aimed at strengthening the party from the grassroots.

Pointing out that his son and Union Minister for Steel and Heavy Industries H D Kumaraswamy was busy fulfilling his ministerial obligations, Gowda said that he had decided to undertake the tour with Nikhil, who is also the president of the JD(S) Youth Wing. “I will take the lead in building a consensus with the senior leaders and workers of the party across the state,” said the former PM.

Gowda’s decision to take the lead in reviving the party’s flagging fortunes comes amid reports of growing discontent within the party, with senior leaders including former minister G T Devegowda being noticeably absent in various party-related events.

Given that the polls to zilla and taluk panchayats are around the corner in the state, Gowda said that the time was ripe for a tour that would help strengthen the JD(S) organisation at the grassroots. The former PM said that he would also tour Bengaluru city to prepare the workers for the crucial Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike polls.