HD Kumarswamy to offer Yogeshwar incentive to give up Channapatna

NT Correspondent Bengaluru / Ramanagar: Union minister for Heavy Industries, Steel and Public Enterprises HD Kumaraswamy is planning a new strategy so as to ensure JD(S) retains the Channapatna Assembly constituency. Channapatna is one of three Assembly constituencies that will undergo a by-poll in the near future. However, dates for the same haven’t been announced. Kumaraswamy is said to be offering BJP MLC CP Yogeshwar also an aspirant for the Channapatna ticket a Chairman’s post on a Board or a Corporation that comes under the Union government.

The JD(S) bigwig is said to have convinced the saffron party high command that his party should retain Channapatna, the seat Kumaraswamy himself vacated after winning from the Mandya Lok Sabha segment. It is clear that there will be a single Channapatna candidate from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners. Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil had been one of the contenders for the Channapatna ticket but he has refused to contest. JD(S) Channapatna taluk president Jayamuthu and ‘HOPCOMS’ (Horticultural Producers Co-operative Marketing and Processing Society) Devaraj have emerged as frontrunners for the ticket instead. Won 5 times from seat Yogeshwar held the Channapatna Assembly seat since 1999 and is a five-time MLA from the constituency.

The rivalry between him and the JD(S) began when he contested from Channapatna on the Samajwadi Party (SP) cycle symbol, defeating Kumaraswamy’s wife Anita. However, Kumaraswamy himself had contested from Channapatna in the 2018 Assembly elections, finally displacing Yogeshwar. The rivalry grew more bitter when Yogeshwar played a key role in Operation Kamala in 2019 when 17 Congress and JD(S) MLAs were poached by the BJP, toppling the coalition government and with it Kumaraswamy from the Chief Minister’s chair. Kumaraswamy went on to retain Channapatna in 2023 against Yogeshwar.