Karnataka

Gowda to accept HDK’s resignation

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Birur/Bangalore, Augsut 25:In a significant political development, Janata Dal (Secular) President H D Deve Gowda on Sunday said he will accept the resignation of former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy as the president of the state unit of the party.

On Saturday, Kumaraswamy had offered to quit the post of the state unit president and that of the leader of the opposition in the Assembly following the party’s debacle in byelections to the Lok Sabha from Bangalore Rural and Mandya constituencies.

Speaking to reporters in Birur in Chickmagalur district, Gowda said he had decided to accept Kumaraswamy’s resignation in tune with the one-man-one-post policy of the party.

The former prime minister said that a meeting of senior leaders of the party would be called on Wednesday to elect a new state president. On the issue whether Kumaraswamy would continue as leader of the opposition in the Assembly, he said the party MLAs would take an unanimous decision on it. Gowda said he sees electoral victory or defeat with equanimity and vowed to tour the state to strengthen the party.

MLAs upset

According to sources in the JD(S), of late, Kumaraswamy has not been in good terms with a section of the party MLAs. He is learnt to have had a spat with Chamarajpet MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, a former minister, and Magadi MLA H C Balakrishna. Magadi is part of the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency.

Both the MLAs did not campaign aggressively for the party candidates during the by-polls. Also, it is learnt that Nagamangala MLA N Cheluvarayaswamy, whose resignation as MP necessitated bypolls from the Mandya seat, is unhappy for being sidelined in the party.
The defeat in the constituencies considered JD-S strong holds could not have come at a worse time for Kumaraswamy. Sources close to the former chief minister said that he is firm on his decision to quit the state unit president’s post.

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