Congress MLA ‘invites’ Revanna to contest for Assembly from Arasikere in 2028

Arasikere MLA KM Shivalinge Gowda has challenged JD(S) leader and former Minister H D Revanna to contest the Assembly elections in 2028 from Arasikere constituency. “If he has the guts, let him contest from Arasikere. People in the constituency will give a befitting response,” Mr. Gowda said, without taking Revanna’s name.

The Congress MLA said this at a program held in Arasikere on January 11 to celebrate Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s achievement of becoming the longest-serving Chief Minister. Mr. Gowda’s statement assumes significance in the light of recent developments suggesting that Mr. Revanna may contest from Arasikere constituency instead of Holenarasipur in the 2028 Assembly elections. The former Minister had also said that he will contest according to which constituency the party’s high command appoints him to.

Mr. Gowda, who was earlier in the JD(S), contested for the Assembly on a Congress ticket in 2023 and won for the fourth time. Stating that he is ready to fight in the upcoming elections, the MLA said that he is fighting and working hard to bring development activities to the constituency. When a government engineering college was sanctioned for the taluk during the JD(S)-Congress rule, the school was shifted to Mosale Hosahalli village, which is part of Holenarasipur constituency.

“Mosale Hosahalli is close to Hasan, where there are currently four engineering colleges. However, later I also got a university approved in my constituency. I will publish a book with the list of development works brought to my constituency during my tenure,” he said.

Moreover, Mr. Gowda said that he left the JD(S) following differences over the candidate for the MLC election. “They only want to put family members on the field. I asked for a ticket for a candidate from our constituency. When my request was not accepted, I decided to leave that party,” he said. He also maintained that his son would not enter politics.