HDK’s actor son Nikhil likely to contest LS polls from Mandya, Revanna’s son Prajwal from Hassan

Mandya, Jan 13: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda’s grandson and incumbent Karnataka chief minister H D Kumaraswamy Nikhil Gowda aka Nikhil Kumar is likely to contest upcoming Lok Sabha polls on JD(S) ticket from Mandya constituency.

According to sources, JD(S) leader LR Shivarame Gowda, who won from Mandya in the recent bypolls, has already been convinced by Kumaraswamy to make way for his 28-year-old son, who has already gained popularity as an actor.

The news comes days after Deve Gowda announced that Prajwal Revanna, son of PWD minister HD Revanna, will contest from the Hassan Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming polls.

“A few party leaders from Mandya have been pressuring me to contest the LS polls. As the chief minister’s son, I have some responsibilities. If the party leaders decide that I have to contest the elections, I have no choice,” Nikhil said while touring Mandya on Saturday. He added, “It doesn’t mean that my film career is over. I will act in films and concentrate on my political responsibilities.”

The move to field Nikhil was not an afterthought, family sources said, as the 28-year-old is seen as the heir to Kumaraswamy’s legacy. He is being pushed to contest elections because of his father’s deteriorating health.

Nikhil made his Sandalwood debut in 2016 with Jaguar, and his second film, Seetarama Kalyana, is all set to release on January 25. He is shooting for another bigbudget film, Kurukshetra, being produced by RR Nagar Congress MLA Munirathna.

If both grandsons get tickets, and if Gowda himself decides to contest from Mysuru or Bengaluru North Lok Sabha seat, three members of the JD(S) first family will be fighting the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. In the recent bypolls, Kumaraswamy’s wife Anitha successfully contested from Ramanagara after it was vacated by him to retain Channapatna.