Sex scandals give Revannas’ political rivals a chance in ‘Hassan republic’

The political landscape of Karnataka’s Hassan district — once known as the “Deve Gowda family’s republic” — seems to be changing. With each member of the Revanna faction of the family now embroiled in various cases relating to alleged sexual offences, their political rivals are looking to gain a firm foothold in the district that was once considered the family’s fortress.

The allegations against the Revannas have come as a huge embarrassment to JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda. They form one of the four offshoots of his political family. The other three are that of son HD Kumaraswamy, son-in-law Dr CN Manjunath and his brother CN Balakrishna, and the politically ambitious wife of his fourth son, Dr HD Ramesh.

Deve Gowda’s political family

The family is considered to be influential across the Vokkaliga belt of the Old Mysuru region, which include Hassan, Mandya, Ramanagara, and Mysuru. Son HD Revanna, who is now out on bail, was managing Hassan, while former chief minister Kumaraswamy was involved in the Ramanagara region.

Balakrishna is influential in Shravana Belagola (Hassan) while Manjunath, the husband of Deve Gowda’s eldest daughter Anasuya, recently won the Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha seat. Ramesh’s wife Dr Soumya Ramesh is also a political aspirant. Her father, DC Tammanna, was an MLA from Madduru.

Sex scandal

The Revannas ran Hassan like their fiefdom. While HD Revanna was the MLA from Holenarasipura Assembly constituency, son Prajwal was the Lok Sabha MP from Hassan. His brother Dr Suraj Revanna was an MLC in the Upper House of the state Assembly.

However, everything changed in late April when an alleged sex scandal was unearthed in Hassan, primarily involving Prajwal, but related accusations were also made against his parents. While Prajwal, who fled the country soon after, was arrested on May 31 as he finally returned from Germany. Before that, his father HD Revanna was arrested in a related kidnapping case, while his mother Bhavani Revanna managed to secure anticipatory bail in the same case. HD Revanna also got bail later. 

An old rivalry

To make matters worse, now Suraj has also been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a male party worker, seemingly ending all hope for the family in Hassan. Already, Prajwal has lost the Hassan seat to Shreyas Patel of their rival Congress family, that of Puttaswamy Gowda, in the recently held Lok Sabha election.

Theirs is a rivalry that goes back to 1985, when Deve Gowda defeated Puttaswamy Gowda from Holenarasipur in the Assembly elections. Puttaswamy avenged his defeat in 1989, and again in 1999. His grandson, Shreyas Patel (33), recently wrested the Hassan Lok Sabha seat from Prajwal who is of his age. Shreyas’s mother, SG Anupama, has also emerged as a strong Congress face against JD(S).

A JD(S) leader who is a former MLA from Hassan district told The Federal that the Revanna family had long had it coming. Their “feudal mindset” caused suffering for many families, the leader said on condition of anonymity. Bhavani Revanna had threatened people on several occasions, the leader claimed.

Opportunity for rivals within family

The Revannas’ troubles seems to have given their rival within the family, HD Kumaraswamy’s faction, a chance to take their influence to Hassan. Kumaraswamy’s son, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, appears keen on entering Hassan politics.

Recently, speaking at the JD(S) office, Nikhil said, “The result in Hassan [JD(S) loss] was unexpected. JD(S) leaders in the district had the support of the workers; yet we lost. We will strengthen JD(S) in the district. We will get ready to win the next district, taluk panchayat, and Assembly elections. Let’s start a new chapter from Hassan district. I will work shoulder to shoulder with all the workers,” he said.

Within JD(S), there is talk that Nikhil, who lost in Mandya and Ramanagara, will start his second political innings from Hassan.

Family faces challenge

The rivalry between the Revanna and Kumaraswamy factions in the family is well-known. These are the two most powerful factions within Deve Gowda’s family as well. While Kumaraswamy has served as the Karnataka CM twice, his wife Anita Kumaraswamy has been an MLA twice. However, Nikhil has been unsuccessful in his bid for both MP and MLA seats.

On the other hand, HD Revanna has been a minister several times, while Bhavani was a Zilla Panchayat member. Prajwal has been an MP while Suraj an MLC. The Revanna family was always protective of their political territory in Hassan, avoiding any “intervention” by Kumaraswamy or his son, according to a close aide of Deve Gowda and a former JD(S) MLA.

However, how far Kumaraswamy’s family can fill in the gap left behind by the Revannas remains to be seen. The Deve Gowda family in general now faces an immense challenge in the district, with the sex scandals threatening to erode their support base and opening opportunities for their political rivals. The outcomes of the ongoing legal proceedings will likely determine their future in Hassan.