The Janata Dal (United), which is hoping to rope in former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah to resurrect itself in Karnataka, may not find the going so easy even if it succeeds in this not so easy task.
Sources said reviving the party, which was once a formidable force in the state, is difficult because it is grappling with two formidable problems — its traditional vote bank in north-Karnataka has virtually ceased to exist and it has no funds to engage in a revival.
Speaking to this newspaper, sources associated with the JD(U), said that another stumbling block is the absence of a charismatic mass leader like former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who has done wonders for the JD(S). “There were rumours in political circles that Congress leader Siddaramaiah may join the JD(U) at an opportune time with his supporters to give the now defunct JD(U) a fresh lease of life. It is a remote possibility as Mr Siddaramaiah is no match for the popularity of Mr Gowda or his ability to mobilise funds to build a party from scratch,” the source explained.
The source added that although Mr Siddaramaiah is one of the few leaders who is hugely popular among the Kurubas, who account for 10 per cent of the total OBC population in the state, his track record suggest that he is no match for Mr Gowda.
Even when the JD(S) broke away from the Janata Parivar in the early Nineties, it was Mr Gowda who toiled hard to build the party and not Mr Siddaramaiah, they said.
Considering this bleak situation, even Mr Siddaramaiah may not venture to revive the JD(U), the source said, adding, “With the demise of stalwarts like late Ramakrishna Hegde, Byre Gowda, J.H. Patel and S.R. Bommai, our strong base in north-Karnataka has been eroded.