As part of its State-wide campaign to strengthen the JD(S), the Janarondige Janata Dal programmes will be held in Varuna and Chamundeshwari Assembly constituencies in Mysuru on May 13 and 17 respectively.

This was announced at a press conference here on Monday by JD(S) leaders, including former Minister and the party’s State Political Affairs Committee member S.R. Mahesh, JD(S) MLA G.D. Harish Gowda, MLC C.N. Manje Gowda and party’s Mysuru district president Ashwin Kumar, and others.

Sharing this information, Mr. Gowda, who is also the Hunsur MLA, said the programme has already been held in 75 Assembly constituencies under the leadership of the party’s youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy.

The programmes scheduled to be held in Varuna and Chamundeshwari Assembly constituencies will enable the party to understand the problems of the people, the JD(S) leaders said.

It may be mentioned here that the Varuna Assembly constituency is represented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while the Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency is represented by veteran JD(S) leader G.T. Deve Gowda, who has fallen out with the party leadership and has stayed away from the party’s programmes.

Mr. Mahesh has called upon the general public to participate in the Janarondige Janata Dal programmes in large numbers.

Reinstatement of IPS officer questioned

Mr. Mahesh took serious exception to the State government’s decision to reinstate senior IPS officer Ramachandra Rao, who had been suspended earlier this year in the wake of obscene videos surfaced on social media platforms involving him.

He accused the Siddaramaiah government of shielding corrupt and tainted officers.

He also trained his guns on the State government for allegedly protecting IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri whom he accused of not only being responsible for the oxygen shortage deaths in Chamarajanagar Government Hospital during the COVID-19, but also involvement in a cloth bag purchase scam when she was serving as the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru.

When his attention was drawn to the speculation over his entry into the poll fray from the Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency, Mr. Mahesh made it clear that he would contest only from the K.R. Nagar Assembly constituency. He said his “political birth and death” would be in K.R. Nagar.

He has also ruled out the possibility of any of his family members contesting elections. If any member of his family enters the poll fray, Mr. Mahesh said he would immediately announce his retirement from politics.

Former Mayors R. Lingappa and M.J. Ravi Kumar, and other party leaders were also present on the occasion.