Congress would have supported H.D. Deve Gowda’s nomination to Rajya Sabha had it known BJP wouldn’t: KPCC spokesperson

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KPCC spokesperson M. Lakshmana addressing a press meet in Mysuru on Tuesday (June 9). | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram

The Congress would have supported former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s nomination to Rajya Sabha if the party knew that the BJP was not nominating him, claimed KPCC spokesperson M. Lakshmana.

Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Tuesday (June 9), Mr. Lakshmana said he is sure that the Congress would have backed Mr. Gowda’s candidature for the Rajya Sabha again like it did during 2020.

He alleged that the BJP held back the announcement of its candidate till the eleventh hour, thereby precluding the Congress from stepping in to support the veteran leader again.

Accusing the BJP of “cheating” the former Prime Minister, Mr. Lakshmana recalled that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had extended support to Mr. Gowda in the 2020 Rajya Sabha polls even though the erstwhile Congress-JD(S) coalition government had collapsed in the State.

“The JD(S) had the support of only 34 MLAs, but it needed the support of 44 MLAs. The Congress gave the support of 10 MLAs to facilitate Mr. Gowda’s election,” he said.

The Congress party had not only supported Mr. Gowda to enter the Rajya Sabha, but also backed him to become the country’s Prime Minister, Mr. Lakshmana said.

The KPCC spokesperson said the BJP, which is finishing regional parties like the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, the BJD in Odisha and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, will soon decimate the JD(S) also.

Meanwhile, Mr. Lakshmana complimented the Mysuru district administration under Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy for reducing the unmapped voters in the district from 3.48 lakh about a month ago to just about 1.01 lakh.

He said the number of unmapped voters in the district should be further brought down. “The percentage of mapped voters, which is 96.36 at present, should reach 99,” he said while claiming that about 20,718 voters still had not been mapped in Narasimharaja Assembly constituency in Mysuru.