JD(S) has a new headache: Who heads party, owns symbol?

Ibrahim camp elects new national prez, throws down gauntlet at Gowda.

The ownership of Karnataka’s only regional party, JD(secular), which is witnessing high drama for the last several months, is at stake as two factions - of JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda and former JD(S) state president C M Ibrahim - are claiming it. 

While Deve Gowda earlier suspended Ibrahim from the party, the Ibrahim faction overthrew this decision by removing Gowda as the party’s national president and replacing him with senior party leader from Kerala C K Nanu.

The Ibrahim camp has now moved the court, questioning the expulsion. Ibrahim has filed a petition before the city civil court, questioning his suspension from the post of state president and also questioning the appointment of an interim president. 

Deve Gowda removed Ibrahim from the post of the state president, alleging anti-party activities following the latter’s media statements against the party’s decision to tie-up with the BJP for Lok Sabha polls, following alternative meetings convened by a section of party leaders led by Ibrahim.

Recently, at the national executive meeting held in Bengaluru, Deve Gowda suspended both Ibrahim and Nanu from the party, including from the primary membership. 

Following this, the Ibrahim faction held a plenary meeting and expelled Deve Gowda from the post of national president and appointed Nanu to the post. 

The Ibrahim camp is even planning to approach the election commission to claim the party symbol.

Even after all these developments and confusion among voters and party workers, JD(S) leaders from Karnataka claim that their party is intact. Expressing confidence over winning the legal battle, senior leader of the party and member of the legislative council K A Thippeswamy questioned the actions of Ibrahim and Nanu. 

“If the national president acted unconstitutionally, then the others should give a request with the signatures of a minimum of 15 members, of the total 75 members in the national executive. Did they convene the meeting by following this procedure?” questioned Thippeswamy.

He emphasised that the Ibrahim camp could not claim the party symbol and that it would continue to belong to the Deve Gowda-led JD(S).

“We have a majority of the people with us and everything was done as per the party’s constitution,” he added. Interestingly, legal experts opined that political parties could not be organised on family lines and that they must follow democratic procedure.

K V Dhananjay, Supreme Court advocate, said, “In JD(S), if Ibrahim, as party president, has to be sacked or removed, due procedure must be followed. It doesn’t matter who set up the party or who worked hard to build it. These parties are registered under the Societies Registration Act. There will be a governing council that has some members and some powers. The Election Commission of India (ECI) insists that in parties organised on democratic lines, having internal democracy and periodic elections, induction and removal should happen in a formal way.”

As for the election symbol, Dhananjay said both camps were over-simplifying it.

“This is not under the purview of the Election Commission. They have to go to a civil court and get declaration about who is running the party and then approach the EC, saying they have a declaration in their favour.”

Meanwhile, Nanu said they were well within their rights to act, as Deve Gowda and his son Kumaraswamy had moved out of the party to join BJP.

“Everyone knows who joined hands with the BJP. So, it’s also understood who moved out of our party,” Nanu said.