Shreyas Patel of Congress defeats Prajwal Revanna, marks end of Deve Gowda’s hold over Hassan
“It is the curse of women that resulted in Prajwal Revanna’s defeat,” said a JD(S) leader. With Prajwal’s loss at the hustings, Congress gains control over Hassan after two decades
In a closely fought poll battle for Lok Sabha, incumbent MP and JD(S) candidate Prajwal Revanna, who is in police custody in connection with sexual abuse and rape case, lost to Shreyas M. Patel of Congress with a margin of over 44,000 votes. Hassan Lok Sabha constituency in Karnataka went to the polls in the second phase on April 26 and recorded voter turnout of 77.42 per cent, the highest after 2009, when it saw voter turnout of 73.47 per cent.
End of Deve Gowda's supremacy over Hassan
Patel, grandson of G Puttaswamy Gowda, humbled Revanna in a fiercely fought battle in Hassan, considered to be the bastion of JD(S). Congress seized Hassan after 25 years, which was dominated by the Gowda family. In 1999 Lok sabha polls, Puttaswamy had defeated former prime minister H D Deve Gowda. In fact, both the families have been political rivals for five decades. In 1980 and 1990s, Deve Gowda and Puttaswamy, a former minister, dominated Hassan politics. While the former prime minister was an important leader of the Janata Parivar, Puttaswamy was the face of Congress.
With Prajwal’s defeat, it appears Deve Gowda’s family has completely lost control over Hassan district as his son and Holenarsipur MLA, H D Revanna and his wife Bhavani Revanna, are facing charges of abduction and kidnapping. The electoral battle between Prajwal and Shreyas was a third-generation fight for supremacy over Hassan, which enjoys the distinction of having produced the country's first Kannada Prime Minister
PM Modi, Amit Shah campaigned for Prajwal Revanna
Prajwal Revanna’s sex scandal embarrassed the JD(S) and its supremo, Deve Gowda. The ruling NDA, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, were caught on a sticky wicket as they could not defend their alliance candidate. In the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, both Modi and Shah campaigned for Prajwal by holding roadshows and rallies before the allegations surfaced. The scandal came to the fore immediately after the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls concluded in Karnataka on April 26. Former chief minister and JD(Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy, who earlier appealed to the electorate to bless Prajwal, slowly distanced from the relationship after pen drives containing Prajwal’s videos with different women surfaced in the public domain.
The Hassan Lok Sabha constituency was represented by Deve Gowda in the Parliament for three consecutive terms from 2004 to 2019. In 2019 general elections, Gowda favoured candidature of his grandson Prajwal, who secured the vote share of 52.96 per cent and defeated his nearest rival and BJP leader Arkalgud Manju by a margin of 11.06 per cent.
The curse of women?
Till the last phase of polls held on June 1, both ruling Congress and JD(S) were accusing each other of protecting Prajwal. The Congress had alleged that JD (S) was defending Prajwal and the BJP countered the allegation by arguing that the state Congress government failed to act against him at an appropriate time.
A day after the first phase of polling, Prajwal Revanna left the country, allegedly making use of his diplomatic passport. After an emotional appeal by his grandfather Deve Gowda, Prajwal returned to Bengaluru. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the Karnataka government arrested Revanna at the Bengaluru International Airport on his return from Munich. He is now under the custody of SIT and being questioned by the police authorities.
Prajwal’s setback is also being viewed as the victory of women who were allegedly exploited and sexually assaulted by him. “It is the curse of women that resulted in the defeat of Prajwal Revanna,” said a JD(S) leader, who spoke to The Federal on condition of anonymity.