H D Kumaraswamy Takes Oath as Cabinet Minister

New Delhi: Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leer H D Kumaraswamy took oath as a minister in Union Cabinet on Sunday. Kumaraswamy’s party, JD(S), won two seats in recent Lok Sabha elections.

Since time of its founding in 1999, JD(S) has never formed a government on its own in Karnataka, but has been in power twice in coalition with both national parties despite being a junior partner -- for 20 months with BJP from February 2006 and for 14 months with Congress after May 2018 assembly polls. Kumaraswamy was chief minister on both occasions.

son of JD(S) patriarch and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda has now managed to secure a cabinet berth by allying with BJP, at a time when his party was fighting "battle for survival".

64-year-old Vokkaliga leer has me no secret of his desire to become agriculture minister.

By winning Mandya Lok Sabha seat, former CM has not only managed to regain JD(S)'s lost bastion, but also demonstrated that party is still a force to be reckoned with in Karnataka, by allying with BJP.

Kumaraswamy defeated Venkataramane Gowda of Congress by a margin of 2,84,620 votes.

Kumaraswamy, who is also state JD(S) president, is a five time MLA, and until recently represented Channapatna assembly seat.

It is said that Kumaraswamy hoped that 2023 assembly polls would yield a hung verdict and that he would emerge as kingmaker or a 'king' himself for third time, but his dreams were dashed with his party's dismal performance and Congress's emphatic victory.

With compulsions of keeping his party afloat and to remain politically relevant in state, Kumaraswamy h again joined hands with BJP to forge an alliance ahe of Lok Sabha polls.

BJP leership persued Kumaraswamy to contest from one of three seats ceded to it, hoping that it will give momentum to his party's prospects in or two seats and help saffron outfit, especially in old Mysuru region, where it is considered to be relatively weak.

plan seemed to have worked as JD(S) won two out of three seats it contested, and BJP in 17 out of 25 in state, which has a total of 28 constituencies.

Seen as an "accidental politician", Kumaraswamy's first love was films.

A fan of Kanna spian Dr Rajkumar, Kumaraswamy was attracted to cinema since his college days. He took up filmmaking and distribution, and produced several successful Kanna films, including 'Jaguar', starring his son Nikhil.

Earlier, in run up to 2018 assembly polls, Kumaraswamy h said, "I will be king and not kingmaker," and his words turned prophetic as Vokkaliga leer occupied chief minister's post for second time, despite his JD(S) finishing a poor third in polls. It was a coalition government with Congress.

But his tenure was short-lived as wobbly coalition government that he heed collapsed after 13 months in power. Kumaraswamy h earlier served as CM for 20 months from 2006 as he of a JD(S)-BJP government.

Kumaraswamy, who grew up in a political environment, forayed into electoral politics by successfully contesting Kanakapura Lok Sabha seat in 1996. He subsequently lost both Parliamentary and assembly elections. He was elected to assembly for first time in 2004, when JD(S) joined coalition government led by Congress's Dharam Singh after polls threw up a hung house.

In 2006, he rebelled and walked out of coalition with 42 MLAs, reportedly against wish of his far, citing a threat to party, and formed government with BJP, becoming chief minister during his very first term as MLA.

Under a rotational chief ministership arrangement, he helmed state for 20 months.

When BJP's turn for chief ministership came, he reneged on promise to transfer power, and brought down Yediyurappa government within seven days.

In 2008 assembly poll, BJP came to power. In 2009 Kumaraswamy successfully contested Lok Sabha polls from Bangalore Rural.

Kumaraswamy's pro farmer and rural friendly programmes like farm loan waiver and outreach to rural folk with 'gram vastavya' project under which he stayed in villages to understand ir problems earned him popularity during his stint as CM.

A science gruate, Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha is a former MLA. 

With PTI inputs