Deve Gowda won’t run for president: HDK

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

JD(S) senior leader and former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday said his father, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, will not be contesting presidential elections. The octogenarian’s frail health does not allow him to make too many public appearances.

“No one has approached us asking him to be made President,” Kumaraswamy said. “We held discussions in Delhi, which were unrelated to the presidential elections. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee honoured our family therein. Leaders of 17 parties participated in the meeting. We did not finalize a name for the presidential candidate during the talks. There is another meeting on June 20, which may yield a name for the presidential candidacy,” he added.

“Mr Deve Gowda continues to hope that he should be able to see an independent government of JD(S) in the state once in his lifetime. We are working towards fulfilling his fond goal,” he said. Kumaraswamy announced that the JD(S) would hold a ‘Janata Mitra’ programme from July 1 to 17. He said that the meeting would focus on the civic issues faced by the people of Bengaluru, adding that Deve Gowda would also take part.