JD (S) leader placed under house arrest as workers revolt

After BJP and Congress leaders, it was the turn of JD (S) leaders to face the wrath of unsuccessful ticket aspirants, whose supporters not only raised the banner of revolt, but also locked up the residence of party’s state unit President Merajuddin Patel in Bangalore.

Hundreds of supporters of prominent JD (S) ticket aspirants from Bangalore swarmed the residence of Patel in Jayamahal extension after learning that the party had refused to field their leaders. They not only pelted stones at his house, but also locked the main entrance of the house.

Patel, who was at home when the siege took place, was put under virtual house arrest for most part of the day. The protestors refused to open the lock unless their leaders were issued the “B form” that enables then to contest as party’s official candidate.

Patel was confined to his house and forced to miss a meeting convened by JD (S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda in the evening. The siege also took a violent turn when the supporters of ticket aspirants pelted stones, damaging a television set. A protester even tried to consume poison. Police rushed to the spot to control the crowd.

Unsuccessful ticket aspirants including Marimuthu, Venkatesh Murthy, Ravi Prakash and Veeresh Kumar, whose supporters had mobbed Patel’s residence, have meanwhile declared that they would be contesting the elections as rebels. Most of them contended that the party had preferred migrants from the Congress party over them while issuing JD (S) tickets to contest the polls.

Marimuthu claimed that Patel had taken Rs 50,000 from her, promising to field her as the party candidate from Pulakeshinagar in Bangalore. “I personally handed over the money to Patel at his residence. I have now been cheated”, she said accused Gowda and his sons H D Kumaraswamy and H D Revanna of ditching her.

The protests broke out after JD (S) leadership announced its first list of 69 candidates for the assembly polls scheduled to be held next month.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and his brother and former Minister H D Revanna filed their nomination papers from Ramanagaram and Holenarsipur assembly constituencies respectively as JD (S) candidates.