HOLENARSIPUR (Hassan district): It was an another day in the life of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda who has seen many ups and downs in the politics in his 52 years of political career. Unlike other politicians and contestants he was seen neither tense nor any anxiety was writ large on his face.
Usually contestants exercise their franchise in the morning itself before setting in on the whirlwind supervisory tour of the constituency. But Deve Gowda took his own time to visit the booth number 244 of Hassan parliamentary constituency at Paduvalhippe village, which for all practical reasons has become the native of this JDS patriarch where his son Revanna resides. Devegowda, who spent the previous night at Revanna’s residence at Holenarsipur town, woke up early in the morning to get ready for a visit to series of temples in the vicinity.
Though the media was waiting at Paduvalhippe polling booth since 7.15am, he arrived at the booth only at 12.30 — exactly one hour before the Rahu Kaala (inauspicious time as per Hindu calendar) begins.
Before after descending on the scene, Deve Gowda first visited Lakshmi Narashima Swamy temple in the town along with his wife Channamma, son Revanna, grandson Dr Suraj (elder son of Revanna and Bhavani Revanna). After hourlong pooja and praying at this temple he went on to visit his family deity’s ( Eshwara) temple at Hardanahalli and then to Ranganathaswamy temple at Mavankere and Lakshmi temple at Paduvalhippe before winding up his temple visiting spree and cast his vote.
He was ‘mister cool’ at the polling booth and waited for a couple of minutes in the queue allowing his family members Channamma, Revanna, Bhavani, Suraj, his daughter Annapurna, Shailaja and son Dr Ramesh, to cast their votes. He was the last man to cast his vote in the family.
Later, speaking to reporters, he said he will not come out of Hassan constituency till the votes are counted. “I will stay back in Hassan spending time in reading newspapers and mythological and other books,” he said, denying that he is going to other states to canvass for the other third front parties.
“I am a small man and there is no need for me to visit other states,” he said disclosing how he suffered financially on the election front this time. He said that his battle this time was a battle between his political saga and money and muscle power of his rival parties.
Later he returned to Holenarsipur and rested till the evening hours. However, he spent his time watching TV and was seen taking stock of the situation on the voting front in other constituencies where JDS is in the race, particularly Chikkaballapur constituency from where his son Kumaraswamy is locked in a fierce battle with Union minister and another former chief minister Veerappa Moily.
