Gowda kills two birds with one stone

Says JD(S) will not field a candidate in Bangalore Central if Sharief is the Congress choice. Where does that leave C M Ibrahim?

Gowda kills two birds with one stone

Says JD(S) will not field a candidate in Bangalore Central if Sharief is the Congress choice. Where does that leave C M Ibrahim?

Master of the game H D Deve Gowda has indicated that the JD(S) will stay away from Bangalore Central if the Congress fields C K Jaffer Sharief from there. Poll observers see it as the JD(S) patriarch's ploy to keep friend-turned-enemy CM Ibrahim out of the race.

Gowda met Sharief in New Delhi yesterday, ahead of the announcement of Congress candidates. Both veterans insisted it was only a courtesy call though JD(S) spokesperson went so far as to say his party would help "secular candidates".

Poli-tricks

JD( S ) had planned to field Chamrajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan from Bangalore Central but Zameer said he would not contest if Sharief was in the fray. Sharief did not want to contest elections till Gowda pepped him up, saying he would see him come out victorious.

Ibrahim was a union cabinet minister and Gowda's Man Friday when the latter was the Prime Minister. But the relationship soured and Ibrahim followed Siddaramiah who quit the JD (S) inu00a0 protest against Gowda's family-oriented politics, to join the Congress. Sharief's friendship with Gowda, on the other hand, has remained intact.

"It is Gowda's trick to kill two birds at one shot," said a source in JD (S). "He has decided to help his friends in the Congress while clipping the wings of his enemies in the same party."

Ready for big game

The Siddaramiah camp, however, is backing Ibrahim's candidature.

"Let Gowda play his game, we will counter him," said B S Shivanna, a close associate of Siddaramiah. "But it is too early to say anything as the party has just started deliberating about the candidates."

Former chief minister S Bangarappa will be another beneficiary of Gowda's generosity.

JD (S) has said it will not field its candidate in Shimoga if Bangarappa contests with a Congress ticket. Bangarappa left Samajwadi Party to join Cong and is tipped to be a candidate.