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Nikhil, the son of Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy and grandson of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, was contesting the election on the JD(S) ticket as part of BJP led NDA.
After the high profile Channapatna seat was allotted to JD(U) in the BJP led NDA, C P Yogeeshwara who was expecting an opportunity to contest the by-poll on BJP ticket, quit the saffron party and joined congress. Contesting on Congress ticket, he defeated JD(U) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, by a margin of 25,413 votes. While Nikhil secured 87,229 votes, Yogeeshwara, a political heavyweight in the constituency, got 1,12,642 votes.
The third generation politician from the former prime minister’s family, Nikhil, registered a hat-trick defeat. He lost in Mandya during the 2019 Lok Sabha election, tasted defeat in Ramanagara during 2023 assembly election and, now lost in Channapatna assembly by-poll this time.
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He said the Channapatna by-poll was about the existence of JD(S) for which Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy bet on Nikhil.
“Deve Gowda had vowed that he would ensure the victory of his grandson. I have already said that Deve Gowda is a humongous force but people rejected him because he did not have social concern but selfishness, in this election. There was a craving to further the family tradition, which people junked,” Yogeeshwara said.
He also said that people have delivered a clear message that the JD(S)-BJP alliance will not work.
“Kumaraswamy and former CM B S Yediyurappa wanted to promote their sons Nikhil Kumaraswamy and B Y Vijayendra (who serves as BJP state president). Both of them are fighting, only to raise their children as ‘political sheep’,” the Congress leader said.
He also blamed Yediyurappa for conspiring against him, which made him (Yogeeshwara) quit the BJP and join Congress ahead of the by-poll.