Deve Gowda foresees 'surprise' at the hustings

While the major national parties are positive about their prospects in the forthcoming Assembly elections, former prime minister and Janata Dal (S) supreme H D Deve Gowda expects a surprise verdict.

He told Business Standard here on Thursday, while in the city to attend the mass marriage ceremony at Noolvi, said the forthcoming elections would throw unexpected results, without elaborating on the "surprise".

Ruling out the possibility of a hung assembly again, Gowda said there was no question of his party joining hands with any other party either before or after the elections.

Refusing to comment on the contents of the Congress manifesto, he said every party would announce its manifesto before the elections and the Congress had done only that. "The BJP would also announce its manifesto. They are national parties. We will also announce our manifesto a little later," he said.

Gowda said the Congress has had a long history and several national leaders were trying hard to regain the party's past glory in the state.

"BJP too, which emerged the single largest party in the last assembly elections will go all out to get a majority. In Janata Dal (S) there are only second and third rung leaders and the party cannot match the Congress and BJP as far as resources and campaign materials are concerned," Gowda said.

He said his party's strength lay in its programmes and performance of H D Kumaraswamy as chief minister. "He saved the party when some Congressmen tried to break our party," he added.

He joined hands with the BJP much against my wishes. But his performance as the chief minister and the programmes we offered to the people has won the hearts of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, economically and socially backward classes and minorities. The support we get from these classes is our asset and it has made our workers stand against the hurricane of Congress and BJP's campaigning," Gowda added.

"I am getting old and my energy is on the decline. Our party has a shortage of top leaders. Those who used my party to enjoy power deserted the party. Against these odds, our party workers are determined to take on the two national parties. This has given me tremendous strength" Gowda said.

When asked what would be his stand in case of a hung assembly, Gowda replied: "This question does not arise. There will be a single party rule."