Buzz over Nikhil Gowda's wedding

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who visited Vijayawada city of Andhra Pradesh on Friday, was on a mission to accomplish unity among regional political parties. Besides, on the personal front he was reportedly seeking alliance for his actor-son Nikhil Gowda.

It is said that the visit of Kumaraswamy and his wife Anitha to the residence of a local businessman in Vijayawada is not just casual but for seeking the hand of his daughter for Nikhil.

The Kumaraswamy couple met Bodepudi Sivakoteswara Rao, managing director of Profit Shoe Company. It is said that the Karnataka chief minister was there to seek alliance for Nikhil with Koteswara Rao’s daughter Sahaja, who is operations manager of the shoe company. Former Congress MP from Vijayawada Lagadapati Rajagopal accompanied Kumaraswamy’s family.

However, Rao denied that the Kumaraswamy family came to Vijayawada for the sake of alliance and said that it was only a friendly visit. The chief minister’s family spent an hour’s time at Rao’s residence and had lunch. Sources confirmed that Kumaraswamy is keen on getting his Nikhil married to Sahaja. She has a Masters degree in logistics from University of Warwick, United Kingdom.

Profit is a retail footwear trading company located at Hanumanpet in Vijayawada and has outlets in all towns and cities of both the Telugu states and in some parts of Karnataka. The company deals with retail and marketing of footwear and its allied products.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy along with his family members offered prayers to Goddess Kanaka Durga at atop Indrakeeladri.

Earlier, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu met Kumaraswamy at Gateway hotel on his way to Tirupati. In a brief meeting, both of them discussed the necessity of unity among all regional parties, especially in south India. Later, interacting with reporters, Naidu said all the regional parties should come together to defeat the NDA.

Stating that it was a short discussion, Naidu said that they will sit together for elaborate talks on developing an alternative to the NDA, on a later date.

Kumaraswamy opined that it is not important who is the prime minister candidate but the aim should be to defeat the NDA. “We are like brothers and eagerly waiting for elections. All leaders of regional parties will sit together and decide the prime minister candidate. The country should be safe and we have to change the present system,” the JD(S) leader said.