Nikhil Kumaraswamy, Janata Dal-Secular (JDS)’s young face and son of former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy, will be contesting the Karnataka assembly election for the first time from the Ramanagara seat, which his mother Anita had vacated for him.
The JDS youth president spoke to News18 while campaigning in Ramanagara’s Doddamaralavadi and said he is confident that people will support a regional party this time. Confident that the JDS will not be a kingmaker this time, but a king itself, Nikhil spoke of the role JDS will play in case of a hung assembly.
Edited excerpts
Q: How do you see the prospects of the JDS this time?
A: We are aiming at 123 seats, and my father since November 7 has taken out the Pancharatna Yatra. It has been five months now and he has visited more than 20 seats in our state. Things are looking in good shape and people this time want to support a regional party. That is why we are asking people to support us as we don’t want to go into a coalition again. If that happens, then the Pancharatna that we have promised and planned for the people will be education, health and housing. For the promises to come into play, people hopefully have to give us a single majority this time. People definitely are looking for a change this time and it looks like the change is going to be in favour of a regional party.
Q: In the past few decades, Karnataka has not elected a party with a single majority. The JDS has been the kingmaker, will you support the BJP or Congress when the need arises?
A: Hopefully, we should not land in that situation back again. As you all know, my father formed a government with the BJP for the first time in 2006 and then we went into a coalition with the Congress in 2018. I hope that people give us a chance. My father has ruled this state for 34 months, the first term (JDS-BJP) for 20 months, and the second term (Cong-JDS) for 14 months. So, we have delivered what we have promised and my father has credibility as a leader. The party is single-handedly taking care of its struggle and is surviving because of Deve Gowdaji’s name and my father has carried it on his shoulders all along. Hopefully, people will give it a fair chance.
Q: You had contested the Lok Sabha elections earlier, and now you are standing for the assembly elections. People in Ramanagara say it is a cakewalk for you. How do you see it?
A: Well, I don’t know. People should decide. I don’t want to define it as a cakewalk or anything else. An election is an election and we don’t know how things go even if people like us. There are many aspects to it, many equations to it as well as there is a BJP candidate and a Congress candidate against me as well. If you look back to the Lok Sabha elections, we all know that the Congress, BJP and Raitha (farmer) Sangha had a coalition and I lost the elections. But I don’t take that loss as if I have lost all of it. The reason is when Puttaraju was elected as an MP, he took around 5, 25,000 votes and when I lost the elections, I took around 5, 75,000 votes. That is 50,000 more that I got. But this is Ramanagara and there are certain things the BJP and Congress are playing with. Hopefully, people will support the JDS and the youth this time. Of course, I have a lot of programmes lined up for my constituency. I would not like to talk about my opponents and I have never done so even during the Lok Sabha elections.
Q: Your grandfather has been the PM of the country, and your father the CM. Do you also aspire to be the CM someday?
A: I just want to work and be the voice of the youth and I do not know where my fate lies. I just want to carry forward the legacy of my grandfather and father honestly by working for the farmers, youth and all other communities.
Q: Is the JDS kingmaker or king?
A: Hopefully King.
Q: How do you see the family feud, and the fight that ensued in Hassan? Did it hurt the prospects of the JDS?
A: We live in a democratic country. Everyone has the right to claim a position. At the end of the day, it is the party that makes the final decision and I think it was a wise call that the party has taken. Now, HP Swaroop has been declared candidate from Hassan. He has a lot of support as well and I am sure we will cruise through in Hassan.
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