Vokkaligara Sangha, a large association of his community members, held a meeting in Bengaluru, and pledged its support to the former CM and decided to support him whichever party he wished to join. Vokkaligas are Karnataka’s second largest community.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar did not wish to comment on Gowda saying he did not want to disclose his strategies.
The BJP made efforts to persuade Gowda to stay back. The party’s state unit president BY Vijayendra said the former union minister had said he would not contest the LS polls and the party took a stand on the Bengaluru North seat. The party, he said, was in touch with Gowda and he would remain with the BJP.
He took potshots at the Congress saying it had not been able to find candidates and it had not yet finalised its list for want of candidates.
KS Eshwarappa, another senior leader, remained defiant about contesting as an independent in Shivamogga against sitting BJP MP BY Raghavendra as he felt shortchanged by the MP’s father BS Yediyurappa. The veteran leader, according to Eshwarappa, had promised the ticket to his son KE Kantesh from Haveri, but the party gave the ticket to former CM Basavaraj Bommai, later.
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