JD(S) sets out to woo minorities

BANGALORE: Wooing minorities, Dalits and backward classes through symbolic gestures is the new JD(S) mantra ahead of next month’s transfer of power to coalition partner BJP as also the ensuing civic body polls, covering almost the entire urban population of Karnataka.

Though the revamp of the state JD(S) outfit, including finding a replacement to state party chief M P Prakash, has been on the cards for quite some time now, party supremo H D Deve Gowda suddenly swung into action on Sunday and announced the appointment of former minister Merajuddin Patel as the next party chief.

Even though Prakash as well as his chief minister son H D Kumaraswamy and most of the JD(S) ministers were away from the state capital, Mr Gowda got the new appointee duly installed in the presence of a handful of leaders.

Apart from appointment of a leader belonging to the Muslim community, Mr Gowda put in place leaders belonging to different communities in key positions with former ministers P C Siddanagoudar and Umesh Katti, both belonging to the Lingayat community, as the new state party secretary-general and senior vice president respectively.

Ashok Dalawayi, who quit his post of assistant commissioner to enter politics and a staunch supporter of his Kuruba community leader Siddaramaiah as state Yuva JD(S) president.

If these appointments comprising handpicked leaders from minorities, backwards and Lingayat communities to key party posts were not enough to spell out the astute political strategy to get the party ready to face the changing political power equations in the state after October 3, Mr Gowda hinted that he had more tricks up his sleeve.

He directed Mr Prakash to finalise the names of the party’s nominees by giving greater representation to minorities, women, backward classes and Dalits for appointment as chairpersons of boards and corporations in consultation with the new state party chief, veteran Dalit leader D Manjunath and the chief minister in the next couple of days.