HD Kumaraswamy: Karnataka's weary kingmaker who yearns to taste power

A lot may be at stake for the two national political parties - Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian National Congress – in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly polls, but for the Janata Dal (Secular), the battle is all about winning and not losing much. Party state chief and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy recently conceded that the assembly polls are a "battle for survival" for the JD(S) as the party has been out of power for nearly a decade.

Believe it or not, Kumaraswamy is set to play a crucial role in the Karnataka Assembly polls due this week. While his party struggles to shake off the image of the one that can at best only catapult a national party to power with its support, Kumaraswamy has been more than vocal about his confidence of rising as a king, rather than a kingmaker.

Kumaraswamy, popularly known as Kumaranna, was born on December 16, 1959, to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his wife Chennamma in Haradanahalli, Mysore State, India. During his early years, Kumaraswamy was known to have an inclination towards the world of cinema and produced Kannada super hits like Chandra Chakori (2003) and Jaguar (2016), among others.

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Kumaraswamy's political debut in the year 1996 was marked by his winning score in that year's Lok Sabha elections he contested from Kanakapura. Kumaraswamy continued to taste defeat until 2004 when the assembly elections resulted in a hung assembly and the JD(S) joined hands with the Congress to form a government. After JD(S)' pullout from the coalition, Kumaraswamy was invited to form a government, he assumed office as the 18th Chief Minister of Karnataka in 2006 and stepped down in October 2007 owing to what he called a 'power-sharing pact' with the BJP. BS Yeddyurappa succeeded him in November 2007.

Janata Dal (Secular) managed to secure just 28 seats in the 2008 assembly elections, 12 more in the year 2013 where Congress registered a landslide victory with a whopping 122 seats. This time around, opinion polls predict a hung assembly - a scenario which will again put the ball in JD(S)' court.

Meanwhile, the Congress and the BJP have left no stone unturned to accuse each other of secretly forming a nexus with the JD(S). Karnataka's incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, last month, ruled out all possibilities of an alliance with Kumaraswamy. He also hinted at a nexus between the BJP and the JD(S) adding that Yeddyurappa, Amit Shah, Narendra Modi and Kumaraswamy have an internal understanding to overthrow his government. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi recently called JD(S) as "BJP's B-team".

On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at an election rally in Karnataka's Tumakuru, alleged that Kumaraswamy and the JD(S) have been secretly working to save the Congress in the upcoming assembly polls. During his address, PM Modi also alluded to the Congress-JD(S) "tacit" alliance during last year's Bengaluru mayoral elections.

All in all, Kumaraswamy is known to have tasted both the sides - his party once sided with the Congress to form a coalition and later handed over the baton to BJP's Yeddyurappa in the year 2007. In over a decade, former prime minister's son seems to have realised the importance of rekindling and igniting the dream of assuming power rather than facilitating the same for other political parties.

Although Kumaraswamy is likely to emerge as a 'facilitator' again, this time around he has branded the electoral fight as a "battle for survival" and JD(S)'s win a complete necessity. Kumaraswamy has rubbished all speculations of a post-poll alliance with the BJP in case of a hung assembly. He recently noted that PM Modi's words of praise for his father and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda doesn't leave any doors open for the BJP for a post-poll tie-up.

Karnataka's Mysore region is believed to have a considerable bent for the Gowda clan, former PM and Kumaraswamy's father Deve Gowda hails from the region. Kumaraswamy, like always, will try to bet heavy on the region to swing at least 30 assembly seats in his favour. The region also includes both the constituencies from where he will be contesting this year - Ramanagar and Channapatna - as well as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's constituency Chamundeshwari.

While Kumaraswamy's resolve to lead his party to power seems firm and resolute, the possibility of a political minority to assume power, that too single-handedly, in a highly divided and polarised election looks far-fetched from reality. The political power-play in Karnataka will come to an end this Saturday and JD(S)' destiny will be sealed. Will Kumaraswamy become the kingmaker? Or will his decision give rise to a unique scenario in the political framework of Karnataka?