Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 22: As civic and Lok Sabha elections are approaching, JD(S) supremo, H D Deve Gowda, feels it would be necessary to hand over reins of the state unit of the party to an ad hoc president to provide affective leadership and time for the organization of the party. In all likelihood, former MLA, B B Ningaiah, would be made the state JD(S) president.

A meeting of party MLAs, members of the legislative council, and district heads was held in the party office here on Saturday July 21. The meeting, which was also attended by current state president of the party and chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, was presided over by Deve Gowda. The meeting decided to form a committee for appointment of state president of the party and to gear up the party for the civic and Lok Sabha elections.

Deve Gowda is of the opinion that Kumaraswamy, who is overburdened with responsibilities, is not getting time to attend to party work. Therefore, he feels it would be better if this responsibility is given to another person. Ningaiah, who belongs to scheduled caste, fits the party's requirement well, Gowda feels.

Speaking to newspersons after the meeting, Deve Gowda said that the chief minister finds it hard to undertake party's organization's responsibilities. Therefore, he said, a need to change the president and some office bearers of the party is felt. In view of the party's rules and regulations, it has been decided to formulate a committee for the purpose, he explained.

"Our party should not in any way create hurdles for the coalition government in the light of local bodies’ election and Lok Sabha election. We have discussed the issue of strengthening of party organization within the framework of coalition. During the next month, national executive of the party will meet. However, we have not discussed about seat sharing for Lok Sabha election," he explained.

The meeting decided to give impetus to membership drive and to undertake task of creating awareness about the coalition government's new schemes and farm loan waiver scheme. The leaders were asked to begin preparation for the Lok Sabha election immediately. Issues like appointment of observers to all the assembly and Lok Sabha constituencies were also discussed.

After the meeting, Kumaraswamy said that he himself had come up with the idea of appointing new state president of the party and for the appointment of new office bearers. He said that a decision about change in the guard might be taken within a week, as seven to eight names have already been mooted for the post of the state president of the party.

At the meeting, participants asked Kumaraswamy to groom second and third rung leaders of the party, not to hesitate in the matter of issuing free passes to students, and to take steps to issue title deeds immediately to Bagar Hukum tillers, it is said.