In Chamundeshwari, veteran JD(S) leader G.T. Deve Gowda says he matters more than JD(S)

JD(S) leader G.T. Deve Gowda taking out a massive rally in Mysuru on Sunday (September 6). | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram Less than two years before the next Assembly elections, veteran JD(S) leader G.T. Deve Gowda put up a show of strength in Mysuru on Sunday (September 6), declaring that voters in the Chamundeshwari constituency consider him more important than his party.Mr. Gowda’s massive rally, organised following his re-election as president of the Karnataka State Co-operative Federation, comes amid his increasingly strained relations with the JD(S) leadership, particularly Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy.Expressing gratitude to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar for his re-election as the head of the federation, Mr. Gowda described Sunday’s rally as a display of affection by voters of the Chamundeshwari Assembly Constituency, who, he said, were pained by the “humiliation” meted out to him by the JD(S) leadership.Though he is a JD(S) MLA, Mr. Gowda claimed that he had not been invited to any of the party’s programmes. He accused the leadership of insulting him by keeping him away from party events and conventions.He said the procession taken out by his supporters on Sunday was a response to the humiliation. “This is not a show of strength. It is a display of their love and affection towards me,” he said.Apparently referring to Mr. Kumaraswamy’s statement about three months ago that Chamundeshwari was a JD(S) stronghold not because of any individual, Mr. Gowda said that the party was not as important in the constituency as he was.“When it comes to Chamundeshwari, G.T. Deve Gowda is important, not the party,” he said, indicating that the people of the constituency would continue to stand by him irrespective of the party he belongs to.When he had moved to the BJP a couple of years ago, when he contested from Hunsur, Mr. Gowda claimed that the JD(S) had been relegated to third position in Chamundeshwari. This, he said, showed that he remained more important to the voters of the constituency than the party.The people of the constituency will not allow him to be sidelined and left alone, he said while declaring that he would continue to serve them till his last breath.Mr. Gowda, who is believed to have already held talks with the Congress leadership, said he would consult the people of the constituency before the next election and take a decision on his future course of action based on their wishes.Significantly, the procession taken out through the streets of Mysuru on Sunday did not feature posters, photographs or names of JD(S) leaders. The procession began at the Kote Anjaneyaswamy Temple near the North Gate of the Mysuru palace and passed through major streets of the city.Mr. Gowda was felicitated with huge garlands of apples and roses, which were lifted using JCB machines. Published - September 06, 2026 06:51 pm IST