Sadananda Gowda: Why Karnataka’s Always ‘Grinning’ Politician Has Quit Ahead of LS Polls

The trademark smile hardly left the face of former Karnataka chief minister and senior BJP leader Sadananda Gowda when he announced his retirement from electoral politics — one that he has worn even during the toughest phases of his political career or personal life.

On Wednesday, the senior leader made the announcement, which took his family by surprise. With this, the former Union minister vacated the Bangalore North constituency from which he stood in the previous Lok Sabha elections.

“I have made a decision not to continue in electoral politics. In my 30 years of political career, the party has given me everything. I have served as an MLA for 10 years, as an MP for 20 years, one year as a CM, over four years as state party president, and then again as a cabinet minister for seven years in the Narendra Modi government. I can’t aspire for more; if I did, I would be termed selfish,” he said while making the statement.

In the past few months, there were strong political rumours that Gowda was upset as he had been given feelers by the party high command that he would not be given a ticket to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. A four-time MP, he was recently summoned to Delhi by the party leadership. This came in the background of the leader openly expressing his displeasure regarding BJP’s alliance with JD(S). Gowda had said while making the crucial decision, the central leadership had sidelined the state leaders in Karnataka.

“It should have been a collective decision, one taken after seeking the opinions of the state leaders regarding the alliance… the decision for the alliance was taken without any discussion with a state leader or the core committee, which includes former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, a member of the Parliamentary Board,” Gowda had said while speaking to a Kannada newspaper.

It is learnt that Gowda’s statement was not taken kindly by the BJP central leadership, which led to a crucial meeting on October 25 in Delhi.

A senior BJP leader, who did not want to be named, points out that the move could also be a strategy by the party leadership to send a message to those MPs seeking tickets for the third or fourth time in the upcoming elections.

“Just like we saw in the Karnataka assembly polls that many young fresh faces were given a ticket and an opportunity while a few seniors were asked to step back, this could also be another such move. It could be a message to MPs who have been elected three or four times to step back and make way for the younger blood,” said the leader.

Calling himself a dedicated soldier of the party, Gowda, post this decision, further reiterated that he will continue to work for the party in whatever capacity they deem fit.

News18 spoke to his eldest brother DV Shivaram Gowda who called it an “unexpected” decision. “He would make a joke once in a while that he will retire, but I personally did not take it seriously. If you ask me, we are not in favour of his decision. But we also know that he would have taken it after careful introspection,” said Shivaram.

Calling their upbringing a tough one as they were raised in an agricultural family where their father, who had a small piece of land, would till it so that the six siblings could be provided with a decent meal. ‘

Shivaram, meanwhile, is proud of his brother’s achievements. “Our parents struggled to ensure we got a good education and we, in turn, also studied well to help raise our family from poverty to better standards of living. There were days we sat under kerosene lamps to continue our education. Sadananda studied law, and with his sheer hard work and passion to help people, he has become the man he is today,” the eldest brother added.

On the personal front, Gowda faced some extremely tough situations with the passing away of his eldest son in a road mishap, the near-fatal accident of his second son, losing his sister and mother all in a short span of time. The events left him heartbroken, yet he forged ahead.

“Especially he (Sadananda) was very close to our mother. As part of my career growth, I had moved out of our native town and began working in various districts. He ensured he called her every single day, helped manage the farmlands and seek her advice on issues. He was severely ill, even then he kept his service to the party topmost on his mind,” added Shivaram, who retired as Additional Commissioner, commercial taxes, in the Karnataka government.

Despite tough battles on the personal and political fronts, his decision, some BJP leaders say, is a “bold one”, but they are confident that he will continue to guide the younger political aspirants to build a stronger BJP in Karnataka.

“He has been an inspiration for many, and by retiring from electoral politics, he has shown despite being in the peak of one’s political career, making way for new blood while being a loyal disciplined party worker, which takes a big heart and a humble mind,” said senior BJP leader and close confidante of Gowda, Captain Ganesh Karnik.

Udupi MLA and BJP leader Yashpal Suvarna said Gowda took the decision keeping Karnataka’s interest his priority, not the elections. “Udupi MLA and BJP leader Yashpal Suvarna said Gowda took the decision keeping Karnataka’s interest his priority, not the elections. “The young leaders will benefit immensely from his vast political experience in the state and Centre, which will also make him a good Margdarshak to the party,” Suvarna said.

Known to be an “accidental chief minister”, Gowda took over the reins of the CMO in August 2011 from BS Yediyurappa, following the decision of the BJP high command to axe Yediyurappa as CM in the wake of allegations of corruption against him and the Lokayukta court convicting him. However, Gowda was not the first choice as Yediyurappa’s successor.

Jagdish Shettar’s candidature was supported by Ananth Kumar, but his name was rejected by Yediyurappa. Yediyurappa projected Gowda, then, Udupi-Chikmagalur MP, as his successor as against Kumar’s choice. Those were the days when Karnataka saw a power struggle between Yediyurappa and Ananth Kumar, and both were considered arch-political rivals. Shettar, who belonged to the Lingayat community, the same as BSY and Ananth Kumar, had to take a backseat with Gowda being named for the coveted post.

In his 11-month tenure, Gowda, initially seen as Yediyurappa’s voice, soon began to break away from the tall leader’s shackles in order to create his own niche. This met with Yediyurappa’s disapproval, and soon the wheels of bringing in Shettar to the CM seat began to turn, and Gowda was replaced by Shettar.

Born in Mandekolu in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka in 1953, Gowda completed his law degree from Udupi. It was during his college days that he was introduced to the ABVP who shaped him as a youth leader and piqued his interest in politics. From Puttur to Delhi, Gowda’s political journey has several of his close associates in appreciation of his assiduous personality.

“He is a workaholic. He can never say no to anybody. It is not in his dictionary. He came from poverty, and since he came from a farmer’s family, he understood the pains of a farmer. That is why, he introduced the Sakala scheme where he felt that a common man should not stand in a taluka office for even an hour so that he does not lose one’s day’s earning. That’s how connected he was. Sakala was introduced to resolve issues in the revenue department. As a lawyer, he would fight for the rights of the needy,” said Manjunath Kaniyadi, media secretary of the leader.