MLC ticket for Dharme: Datta loyalists protest outside Gowda's residence

Bengaluru: Janata Dal (Secular) leader Y.S.V. Datta, a long standing confidant of party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda, is reportedly upset with his mentor for promoting another leader, Dharme Gowda from Chikkamagaluru, who Mr Datta suspects, worked against him in the just concluded assembly elections.

Mr Datta lost the assembly elections from Kadur constituency. Ironically, he is the last in a coterie of four leaders who have fallen out with Mr Gowda. 

The former Prime Minister had four trusted lieutnents in his coterie: B.L. Shankar, P.G.R. Sindhia, V.S. Ugrappa and Mr Datta. The other three drifted away from Mr Gowda long back. 

Though Mr Sindhia is still with the Janata Dal (Secular), he is no longer considered  a trusted confidant of Mr Gowda.

But Mr Datta stood with Mr Deve Gowda all along. On Thursday, Mr Gowda chose Dharme Gowda from Chikkamagaluru and nominated him to the Legislative Council instead of Mr Datta. 

On Friday supporters of Mr Datta came all the way from Kadur to lodge a protest against Mr Gowda's decision. He staged a sit-in protest outside Mr Gowda's residence on Friday. 

Mr Datta reportedly told his supporters that he did not go with former Chief Minister late Ramakrishna Hegde as a matter of principle when the Janata parivar split but Mr Deve Gowda ditched him and betrayed him.

11 elected unopposed to Council

Eleven candidates were elected unopposed to the State Legislative Council on Friday. 

While the BJP has managed to send five of its candidates to the Council because of its strength in the Assembly, Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) have sent four and two candidates respectively.

Those who got elected to the Council from BJP are  Raghunath Malkapure (second term), Tejaswini Gowda, Ravikumar, K.P. Nanjundi and Rudresh Gowda. 

From the Congress, C.M. Ibrahim (second term), K. Govindaraju (second term), Arvind Kumar S. Arali and K. Harish Kumar made it to the Upper House while from JD(S), B.M. Farooq and Dharme Gowda have been elected. 

The candidate selection has caused heartburn in all three parties. Retiring BJP MLCs B.J. Puttaswamy and D.S. Veeraiah are upset that they have not been given a second term. On Friday morning, Mr Veeraiah met state BJP President B.S. Yeddyurappa to pour out his woes over the neglect of the Dalit community in the selection of candidates. However, Mr Yeddyurappa is said to have convinced him to remain silent and promised to set right the injustice.

In the Congress too, many aspirants are unhappy since the party has given a second term to Mr Ibrahim and Mr Govindaraju. Senior leaders Rani Satish and M.R. Sitaram are said to be unhappy with the party’s decision. As far as JD(S) is concerned, party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda had cleared only two names though there were aspirants such as N.S. Konareddy and Y.S.V. Datta.