Step aside UP; Karnataka is king of family politics

The politics of the father-son duo of HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumara Swamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) is quite renowned all over Karnataka. Criticizers of the party nickname JD(S) as the party of fathers and sons. Interestingly, the JD(S) has not only the father and son as its leaders, but much like the Samajwadi Party, many members of Deve Gowda’s family also are quite active and controversial in state politics.

Anita Kumara Swamy, daughter-in-law of HD Deve Gowda, was given a ticket from Ramanagara in the last legislative election. At that time Bhavani, another daughter-in-law of Deve Gowda triggered a dispute by demanding a ticket for her too from KR Nagar constituency. Finally Deve Gowda, National President of JDS party, intervened and solved the matter. 

The family of S Bangarappa, another former CM of Karnataka, has broken into pieces long ago over to political disputes. In many legislative elections, Madhu Bangarappa contested from the JD(S) while brother Kumar Bangarappa has contested from the Congress. The dispute in the Bangarappa family went beyond mere politics after the death of the patriarch - S Bangarappa.

Kumar Bangarappa stayed aloof from the funeral rites of his father. All the funeral conventions were carried out by Madhu Bangarappa alone. Kumar Bangarappa's disputes were not limited to only with his brother. He did not even support his sister Geetha Shiva Rajkumar, (wife of Kannada cinema superstar Shiva Rajkumar) when she contested in the last Lok Sabha elections from Shivamogga as a JD(S) candidate.

Currently Jarkiholi family of Belagavi seems to be the ideal family in politics. The three brothers of the Jarkiholi family - Satish Jarkiholi, Ramesh Jarkiholi and Balachandra Jarkiholi - are active in politics. The first two are in the Congress while Balachandra is a BJP legislator. Though there are some disputes, they have never allowed them to become public.

A lesson perhaps the Samajwadi Party needs to learn. Fathers and sons who are active in Karnataka politics

• devegowda
• kumara swamy
• bangarappa
• yeddyurappa
• jds
• congress
• samajvadi party