JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda sacks K'taka unit president, appoints son Kumaraswamy in his place

Former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Thursday removed the party's Karnataka unit president C M Ibrahim, who had raised a banner of revolt against forming an alliance with the BJP, by dissolving the state working committee.

Gowda appointed his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy as the ad-hoc president of the party's state unit.

Kumaraswamy, a two-time Karnataka chief minister, is also the party's legislative unit president.


"To strengthen the party, our national president today took the decision to dissolve the old unit and announced the ad-hoc committee in my leadership. Naturally, it will be communicated to him (CM Ibrahim). My responsibility is to strengthen the party," said Kumaraswamy.

Gowda's order followed Ibrahim's rebellion against the party's choice to form an alliance with the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Regarding this, on October 16, Ibrahim convened a meeting with individuals who shared similar views within JD(S) and declared that his faction represented the original party. He further established a core committee tasked with presenting a memorandum to the party leader, asserting that JD(S) should not forge an alliance with the BJP.

(With agency inputs)