Mysuru: President of JD(S) Core Committee and MLA G.T. Devegowda has advised the party State Youth President Nikhil Kumaraswamy, not to lose heart over the debacle in Channapatna Assembly by-election and involve in the organisational works of the party.

He was speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a meeting held at Zilla Panchayat Hall in the city yesterday.

Devegowda said, Nikhil shouldn’t have lost the elections. But, he should not feel let down following the back to back electoral defeats thrice and busy himself in the organisational activities of the party. There are instances of those facing similar defeats, overcoming the loss by winning the elections and also becoming the Minister. Nikhil should follow such leaders as a role model and build the party further, he said.

Gowda asked ‘Who invited me for the campaign? Neither the candidate nor his mother or even Dodda Gowdru (referring to the party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda). It seems that, they don’t feel my necessity.’

“The impression is that, they don’t want me, but my son, considering my age and the feeling among them that I should take political retirement,” said Devegowda.

He chose to clarify that, he doesn’t have any differences with Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, the JD(S) State President. It was Kumaraswamy himself who is portraying things in such a way, added Gowda saying that he was helpless in this matter.

To a recent statement of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah giving a call to GTD to quit JD(S) and join Congress, the latter sought to clear the air saying that, barring the developments preceding 2023 Assembly elections, when Congress leaders had extended an invitation to join the party, there was no such situation thereafter, where he got an invitation from the leaders of grand old party.