Kumaraswamy says son Nikhil will not contest Karnataka assembly polls

Mandya: JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said his son and party youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy will not be contesting the assembly polls in Karnataka, which is due next year.

The former state chief minister said the 32-year-old actor-turned-politician, who is the grandson of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, will work towards the party’s victory.

“Who said Nikhil will contest? He has decided to work towards organising the party in about 30-40 constituencies. Nikhil will not contest assembly polls,” Kumaraswamy said.

There were some speculations in the party circles that Kumaraswamy may shift to Ramanagara and give up his Channapatna seat to make way for Nikhil, while his wife Anita Kumaraswamy, who currently represents Ramanagara, may not contest the polls.

According to some party leaders, Nikhil is said to be more interested in fighting and winning the next Lok Sabha polls from Mandya.

Nikhil lost the 2019 Lok Sabha poll from the party bastion of Mandya to BJP-backed independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh, an actor-turned-politician.

JD(S) had fought the previous Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the Congress, as both parties were then running a coalition government, with Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister.

The talk about Nikhil not contesting the polls has come as JD(S) often faces criticism for “dynasty politics”, with it even being called a “family party”, as at least eight members from party patriarch Deve Gowda’s immediate family are into politics.

As it aims to independently form a government this time, the JD(S) has set a target of winning 123 out of 224 seats in the assembly polls.

Kumaraswamy had recently predicted the possibility of an early assembly election in Karnataka, saying it could be held in December this year.