The new state chief minister has essayed many roles, and those who look up to him in politics vouch for his skill in performing several roles in politics too.
“Sada is a good pathradhari (actor), he has played the roles of Krishna, Arjuna and Yudhishtira, and his face is an expressive one, suited for lead roles,” says Kumble Sundar Rao, president of the Yakshagana Academy, who says that even now, whenever DV Sadananda Gowda gets the time, he goes to watch all-night Yakshagana performances.
He has essayed many roles, and those who look up to him in politics vouch for his skill in performing several roles in politics too. “The very smiling face that has won him hearts for the party will also be the one that fights the evils in real life, enacting the role of Dharmaraya or Yudhishtira, the eldest Pandava, known for his piety,” vouch party workers.
On Thursday, Sadananda Gowda, who has long made a mark as the organiser of the BJP, will take oath as chief minister of Karnataka. The 58-year-old has been MLA twice, and is now serving his second term as a Lok Sabha MP, representing Udupi-Chikmagalur. Yet, his experience in politics has remained entirely in the area of organising the party, rather than administration.
As news of Gowda’s elevation to chief ministership spread in his native Dakshina Kannada district, a large crowd gathered outside the BJP office in Mangalore. Despite pouring rain, vehicles were stopped and sweets were distributed to all and sundry.
Gowda’s image in politics remains untarnished by corruption, even though he has been in politics for over 30 years. In the past five years, he has had much party responsibility come his way, as he was state president of the BJP, the MP from Mangalore and MP of Udupi-Chikmagalur. It was under Gowda’s presidency that the BJP assumed power in Karnataka in 2008.
Party insiders say that Gowda might have been the natural choice for chief minister in 2008; at the time, however, he was not a member of the legislative assembly, and BJP leaders at the high command wanted to play it safe, in matters of caste, and so chose the Lingayat Yeddyurappa. (Sadananda Gowda is a Vokkaliga of Dakshina Kannada district.)
Gowda’s name was proposed by outgoing chief minister BS Yeddyurappa. Both these leaders grew in stature after joining the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Both leaders were ardent followers of RSS ideologues like Sadashiva Golwalkar, Keshava Baliram Hedgewar and Jagannath Rao Joshi. Even as Yeddyurappa faced a slew of scandals in office, Gowda stood by him. The attempt to keep the first BJP government in a southern state going brought the two leaders close together.
As an organiser of the BJP, Gowda is credited with strengthening the party structure not only in Karnataka but also in Goa and Kerala. His career in politics, however, was also charted through an involvement in the cooperative movement. He was vice-president of the South Canara District Central Cooperative Bank and was actively involved in several committees. He has also been president of the Sullia taluk autorickshaw drivers’ and owners’ union.
Gowda was twice elected to the state assembly from Puttur, in 1994 and 1999. His only electoral loss was in 1989, when he contested for the first time from Puttur and his Congress opponent Vinay Kumar Sorake won.
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