Former PM H D Deve Gowda exits electoral politics, hands over responsibility to grandson Prajwal

BENGALURU: Former PM H D Deve Gowda has announced his "retirement" from electoral politics. Gowda, 81, has been saying "this is my last election" for the last three LS polls. But this time, he appears to be serious, as he has announced it well before the next LS poll in 2019 and has handed over the responsibility of his constituency, Hassan, to his son Revanna and grandson Prajwal.

Prajwal, 24, was very active during the LS polls, but was formally inducted into JD(S) only on Thursday , when Gowda announced at his residence in Bengaluru that he would not contest any more elections. The grandson has not been given any post yet, in the party that has often been criticised as a father-son one. The state president of the JD(S) is Gowda's other son, former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy , while Gowda himself is the national president of the party.

Prajwal told ET: "I have been working hard for the party for the last two-and-a-half years and I want to strengthen it by bringing in more youth and women into it. I became a member to kickstart the membership drive in the state."