Rebel Congress leader A Manju may take on Deve Gowda’s grandson in Hassan

BENGALURU: Former Congress minister A Manju is most likely to take on JD(S) candidate Prajwal Revanna as a BJP candidate in Hassan Lok Sabha seat despite opposition from some BJP quarters within the district. Prajwal Revanna is the son of PWD Minister HD Revanna and grandson of former PM HD Deve Gowda, who is also the sitting MP from Hassan. The sixty-year-old Manju is not new to the BJP. He first entered the Assembly in 1999 on a BJP ticket. Between 2008 and 2018, he was a Congress MLA for two terms. The Congress is pretty much helpless as Manju has kind of rebelled against the JD (S), and not the Congress.

“If Deve Gowda were to contest from Hassan we all will support him because he has been representing Hassan for a long time, and is a former prime minister. If he is not contesting, then he should not propose his grandson’s name. Instead, he should bless me,” Manju told ET.

The former Congress minister is also a close follower of former chief minister Siddaramaiah, whose dislike for the BJP is legendary. Manju, however, is not taking an advice from Siddaramaiah on his political future.

He will wait for Gowda’s next moves to be known, and in the meanwhile, has called a meeting of his followers on Thursday to decide on his poll strategy.

“There is no opposition from the BJP in Hassan district to my contesting on BJP ticket. I have already spoken to BJP state unit president BS Yeddyurappa and he has extended his support,” Manju said.

Prajwal Revanna contesting as JD(S) candidate is not a new development. He has been nurturing his grandfather’s constituency ever since Gowda announced his decision ahead of last year’s Assembly polls. Gowda’s another grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy is set to file his nomination papers as JD(S) candidate from Mandya constituency.

There has been a social media campaign going on against Gowda family deriding JD(S) as a party promoting family politics. While the patriarch is sitting MP, two sons are CM and a cabinet minister, relatives are ministers, and two grandsons get ticket to contest Lok Sabha polls.