Hassan Lok Sabha Election 2024: Do-or-die Battle for JD(S): Grandsons to Decide 40-year-old Political Family Feud?

A fascinating struggle is taking on in Hassan, Karnataka, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in the seat. In addition to being an election contest between the Congress and the BJP-JD(S), it is also a 40-year-old political rivalry between two families.

In this highly anticipated constituency, where their grandfathers—former prime minister HD Deve Gowda and former minister G Puttaswamy Gowda—once battled, incumbent MP Prajwal Revanna of the JD(S) is up against Shreyas Patel of the Congress.

But the grandkids are fighting it out in this battle royale under the blazing sun to take possession of this hot seat. The Hassan seat has been given to the JD(S) under the agreement between the BJP and JD(S) coalition.

The only other member of the party in the state is Prajwal, who is running for reelection. His father, HD Revanna, is the older son of Deve Gowda, who won the Hassan seat in 2019 with a total of 1.5 lakh votes. In 2019, his grandpa “gifted” Prajwal this seat so that the next generation might take its place.

Shreyas’s campaign in the recently concluded assembly elections is claimed to have put up a strong fight against Prajwal’s father, clearing the way for the young candidate to be handed a Lok Sabha ticket.

There is a clear difference between the two candidates’ campaigns. Having served as the seat’s representative for five years, Prajwal has spoken about the developments that have occurred while he has held office, including the implementation of policies and initiatives by the central government under Prime Minister Modi and the ways in which his grandfather and other family members have partnered with the leader to ensure India’s future.

As a young lawmaker, I’m impressed by what I observe in PM Modi and Deve Gowda, the two main NDA leaders. In the PM, I see a lot of Deve Gowda ji. They are both really patient. Modi Sir makes no remarks on any topic. Even his opponents agree that he is the greatest since he is so tactful in his speech and never offends anybody. I am an example of how Modi has won over not only the hearts of Indians but even those of the opposition, according to Prajwal.

Top BJP figures, such as state president BY Vijayendra, have been actively campaigning with JD(S) figures, such as Prajwal, to demonstrate to voters that their alliance is a reliable and genuine one. Workers from the JD(S) and BJP yell “Modi matomme (Modi once again)” as the candidate passes through the assembly seats that make up Hassan.

Meanwhile, Shreyas is dealing with a different hand. He has been campaigning on two fronts: the political injustice done to his family and the Congress’s guarantee programs.

“I have experienced loss in elections, just as my grandparents and mother did when they sought for office. Is this what we get for putting in the groundwork and interacting with people? This Deve Gowda family rule, which only comes to you and begs for votes during elections, has to cease. For Hassan, what have they done? Is this what a previous prime minister’s seat in Holenarsipura should look like? Has anything changed in that regard? Exist any sectors or jobs in this area? He inquired.

The senior JD(S) leader suffered a serious political setback when his grandfather, Puttaswamy Gowda, defeated Deve Gowda in 1985 as an Independent candidate and went on to win the seat in the 1989 assembly election and the 1999 Lok Sabha elections.

When Puttaswamy and HD Revanna ran against each other in 1994 and 2004 for the assembly seat in Holenarsipura, the conflict took a different turn. Both times, Revanna came out on top. Following Puttaswamy’s passing, his daughter-in-law SG Anupama ran against Revanna in the assembly elections of 2008 and 2013, however she was unsuccessful both times. This is the unfairness Shreyas has been bringing up throughout her campaign.

Prajwal has also been intensifying the Hindutva rhetoric in his public appearances. He urged people to vote for Modi, the BJP, and the JD(S), in that order, as the sole means of preserving Hinduism.

He even went one step further with the partnership equation, stating that the JD(S) sign is a “woman labourer carrying a stack of paddy on her head” and the BJP symbol is a “lotus”.

The lady has never had a name assigned to her. She will now go by Kamala,” said Prajwal in Holenarsipura to applause from BJP and JD(S) activists.

Like her family, Bhavani Revanna is a well-liked JD(S) leader in Hassan and is rarely seen in the media. She has been advocating for her son and urged voters to consider the work that Deve Gowda did for Karnataka and Hassan, pointing out that Modi has been just as successful as Deve Gowda was as prime minister.

Voting for Prajwal, the BJP-JD(S) candidate, is advised because everyone wants to see Modi rule the nation for a third time. We are now globally recognized thanks to Modi Ji’s development and welfare programs. We have to support growth,” she said to News18.

Shreyas hopes to capitalize on the achievements of the five assurances made by the state administration headed by Siddaramaiah. “It has reached every home, and every woman in Karnataka has the money in her possession. The Congress will triumph because the plans have shown to be quite successful, he said.

Local businessman Vikas Gowda said that voting for Modi and the BJP is the main goal of the Lok Sabha elections, not local concerns. Despite the fact that his family has always backed the JD(S), he is certain that Modi and the BJP are the only ones who can “save Hindus.”

This concerns Hindus like us. Voting for Prajwal is the best way to protect Hindutva, but only Modi can preserve our race. He has contributed much to the constituency as an MP. I am amazed for a young person,” he said.

The septuagenarian Srinivas said that Modi and Siddaramaiah are competing in Hassan. “The assurances are a smoke screen. They take and give to the woman, taking from the husband. Only Modi can bring forward a future for the nation, he said.

Shanthala, who works at a restaurant on the side of the road, disagrees. She claims she receives Rs 2,000 in her hand, which makes her life simpler, and she is pleased with the Congress’s assurances.

“I can save more money by taking the free bus service to work,” the woman said.

The family of JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda has controlled the Hassan Lok Sabha seat, and the Congress is keen to reclaim it. The former prime minister has run for the position five times and won six times.

There’s a lot on the line for the JD(S), and these elections are a fight for survival. HD Kumaraswamy, a former chief minister and Deve Gowda’s younger son, is also running from the Mandya seat that his son Nikhil Gowda lost to Sumalatha Ambareesh. Not too long ago, the wife of well-known Kannada actor and former Congress minister MH Ambareesh—who had previously run as an independent—joined the BJP.