By M K Ashoka

Bengaluru, Apr 15 (IANS): Nikhil Kumaraswamy, grandson of former Prime Minister and veteran JD(S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda, and son of ex-Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, is getting ready to contest the May 10 Assembly elections from Ramanagara.

The Deve Gowda family's grand plan of launching Nikhil Kumaraswamy in politics had failed in 2019, when he was defeated by actress-turned-politician Sumalatha Ambareesh by a huge margin of 1.25 lakh votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Mandya.

His cousin Prajwal Revanna though had managed to win from the Hassan Lok Sabha constituency in 2019.

Now, the powerful political family of Karnataka is carefully planning the re-entry of Nikhil into politics from the safest possible seat.

Ramanagara, which comes under the Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency, is presently represented by Nikhil's mother Anita Kumaraswamy, who had won the 2018 by-election by a whopping margin of 1,09,137 votes. The Ramanagaram constituency fell vacant after Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who had contested from two seats in the May Assembly polls, took oath as the legislator from Channapatna.

The JD(S) has been winning from Ramanagara since 2004, with Kumaraswamy emerging victorious on four occasions -- 2004, 2008, 20013, 2018.

However, when Nikhil took a tour of the constituency after the confirmation of his candidature, he had to face the wrath of women who alleged lack of development in the area.

Women from Doddabadigere village told Nikhil that they won't vote if development is not assured, as they complained about availability of drinking water, and improper drainage system.

Nikhil gave a patient hearing to their grievances and assured them that he would get the works done. The video of the conservation went viral on social media, causing embarrassment for the JD(S) leadership. However, Nikhil's mature way of handling the situation was appreciated.

The BJP has fielded Gowtham Gowda from Ramanagara, while the Congress has given ticket to senior leader Iqbal Hussain H.A. Some sources claim that Nikhil should win the elections comfortably.

The constituency has 2,06,999 voters. Hindus make up 51.04 per cent of the electorate, while Muslim account for 47.65 per cent of the voters. The Vokkaliga vote bank is dominant among the Hindus, which stands firmly with the JD(S). A major chunk of Muslim voters has traditionally supported the Deve Gowda family.

However, the competition can be close this time with a section of the Congress projecting prominant Vokkaliga leader D.K. Shivakumar as the party's chief ministerial face. In that case, it would be interesting to see if the JD(S) succeeds in holding on to the Vokkaliga vote bank in Ramanagara.

Also, given the rising polarisation on religious lines Karnataka, holding on to the Muslim votes can also prove to be a tricky affair for the JD(S).

So, it's certainly not going to be a cakewalk for Nikhil in what is considered to be a 'safe' seat of the JD(S).