Sa Ra Mahesh is ‘high command’ of JD(S) in Mysuru, says GTD

Sa Ra Mahesh

Former minister Sa Ra Mahesh has once again proved that he is the ‘boss’ of the JD(S) in Mysuru.
To substantiate this, former minister G T Devegowda, a senior, in both age and political experience, said that Mahesh is the high command for the party in Mysuru.

Devegowda said, “Seniority does not matter and Mahesh communicated the decision of the party high command and the rest, including me, followed it, in the election of Tasneem of the party as Mayor.”

Only base of JD(S)

The sulking JD(S), following the collapse of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government, lead by H D Kumaraswamy, is having a strong base only in the old Mysuru region, especially in Mysuru district and city. There are five JD(S) MLAs in Mysuru district, three BJP MLAs and three Congress MLAs.

Mahesh, who served as minister in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government, lead by H D Kumaraswamy, is MLA from KR Nagar. Even though he is a native of KR Nagar taluk, Saligrama village, he was mostly brought up in Mysuru city and was an aspirant of the BJP ticket from Chamaraja Assembly constituency. He is MLA and also in the JD(S) since 2008. Earlier, he was in the BJP.

Seniority

However, Devegowda was first elected as an MLA in 1998 Hunsur bypoll. Later, he was elected once again in 2004 and unsuccessfully contested in 2008. His native village Gungral Chatra, under Chamundeshwari constituency, is on the border of Hunsur. He shifted to Chamundeshwari in 2013. He was in the BJP for a couple of years, since 2008, and served as chairman of Karnataka Housing Board.

Despite earning the wrath of Bhavani Revanna, daughter-in-law of JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda, Mahesh managed to win the 2018 poll from KR Nagar. Bhavani is also a native of KR Nagar taluk, Mirle village. She had plans to contest from KR Nagar and to field her son Prajwal, now MP from Hassan, from the neighbouring Hunsur constituency. Bhavani was angry as Mahesh was instrumental in bringing former minister A H Viswanath from the Congress to the JD(S), who had to be accommodated in Hunsur in 2018. However, due to his proximity to Kumaraswamy, Mahesh was made Tourism and Sericulture minister.

Discontent GTD

On the contrary, Devegowda, who was dubbed as giant killer, for defeating former chief minister Siddaramaiah, remained discontent for not getting the ministry of his choice in the JD(S)-Congress coalition government. He said that he was just an eighth standard student and the Higher Education Ministry did not suit him. Besides, he used to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister B S Yediyurppa, inviting the wrath of the party high command.

It has to be noted that even earlier, in 2016, when M J Ravi Kumar was made Mayor, Devegowda was not taken into confidence. Then also, Mahesh was instrumental in selecting the party candidate for mayorship and Kumaraswamy was in touch only with him.