Karnataka Elections 2023: Political heirs at fore to carry forward family's legacy

With the southern state drawing close to state legislative polls on May 10, the political realm of Karnataka is heating up, with all eyes on the ongoing political tug-of-war between the incumbent BJP and opposition Congress, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Notably, Karnataka is the only BJP-led state in southern India, with 119 members in the 224-member assembly, followed by 73 from Congress and 28 from JD(S) in the current term.

Among the issues of development, unemployment, and reservation, dynastic politics is one of the aspects prevalent in the state.

Take a glimpse at the politicians' heirs, fielded as the key faces in Karnataka's May-10 polls.

•  Mallikarjun Kharge’s son Priyank Kharge

Priyank Kharge, the son of Mallikarjun Kharge, the president of the Congress, is contesting from the Chittapur seat. Interestingly, it becomes significant that he wins this seat as this will be his first election after his father was appointed Congress chief. Priyank had won by a slim margin of 4,000 votes earlier. A highlight of his career was calling out the Basavaraj Bommai administration in 2022 for the police recruitment scam. This will be Priyank's litmus test in Chittapur.

• Yediyurappa’s son Vijayendra

BY Vijayendra, son of former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, is running for the Shikaripura assembly constituency in Shivamogga. Since his father, Yediyurappa, has held the seat a record seven times since 1983, Vijayendra has enormous shoes to fill. He was the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha's general secretary, and later he bagged the position of BJP vice president for Karnataka in 2020.

• Gowda Family

HD Kumaraswamy, son of HD Deve Gowda, took over the JD(S) reins amid infighting among family members. The ongoing family dispute between Kumaraswamy and his elder brother HD Revanna over the seat for sister-in-law Bhavani Revanna might play a significant role in Karnataka Assembly elections. Over eight members of the HD Deve Gowda family, including HD Kumaraswamy, Anitha Kumaraswamy, Nikhil Kumaraswamy, HD Revanna, Prajwal Revanna, Suraj Revanna, and HD Deve Gowda himself, are key figures in the state.

• Grandson Nikhil Kumaraswamy

Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of HD Kumaraswamy and grandson of HD Deve Gowda, is another political heir, all set to carry forward his family’s legacy. Nikhil will contest from the Ramanagara constituency in the Karnataka assembly in 2023. Anitha, Kumaraswamy’s wife, is the sitting MLA of the seat, up against Iqbal Hussain HA from the Congress.