Health and kin trouble, big hurdles for HDK’s Yatra

BENGALURU: Recuperating from his heart surgery, a not-so-hale H-D Kumaraswamy is set to jump into poll race with his ‘Karnataka Vikasa Yatra’ from Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysuru district on Tuesday. Out of power for the past 10 years, it is a battle for not just power, but for the very survival of JD(S).Though acknowledged as a dogged fighter by even his rivals, Kumaraswamy’s Yatra is facing big hurdles within even before he can cross swords with his rivals. The former Chief Minister is hitting the road much against the advice of his doctors about possible infection due to exposure to dust during the yatra in rural hinterland.

The party leadership has been forced to issue instructions to party rank and file against bursting of crackers and garlanding him during the yatra as such gestures could cause health hiccups to Kumaraswamy. The party’s failure to groom second line of leaders is being felt now as Kumaraswamy is the only star campaigner the party could bank on and he is forced to stretch himself ignoring the huge health risk that could prove costly. This is because at 84,  party supremo H D Deve Gowda’s age and health have put severe limitations on his utility as a star campaigner.

Compounding Kumaraswamy’s woes is the resource crunch the party is facing as it has been out of power for the last one decade and the friction within the family for the power pie would further add to troubles, opines political analyst Harish Ramaswamy.Bhavani Revanna’s announcement that her son Prajwal Revanna would contest the assembly election contrary to Kumaraswamy’s repeated assertion that only himself and his brother H D Revanna would enter the poll fray has brought the dissension in the family into the open.

“It is not just a fight to return to power, but a fight for survival for JD(S) and Kumaraswamy. This is a fight that Kumaraswamy cannot afford to lose and the bigger hurdles for Kumaraswamy are from within,” says Ramaswamy.Poor show by JD(S) could see the party MLAs becoming easy pickings for poaching from Congress or BJP which in effect could threaten the very survival of JD(S).