Mysore/Mysuru: Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy (HDK) has said that MLC Marithibbegowda won because of his (HDK) charisma during the last MLC election.

He was speaking to press persons at the office of K.R. Nagar MLA S.R. Mahesh in city on Tuesday.

Reacting to the allegations made by Marithibbegowda, HDK said, “Does he agree that JD(S) made him the candidate by giving him party ticket? Can he remember how much money he received from Kumaraswamy for election expenses? Did I pay to defeat him in the elections? Let him discuss all these issues in public. Let him remember that Kumaraswamy’s charisma helped him to win elections. I need not say anything more.”

The decision to give party ticket to H.K. Ramu was not his personal one but of the Party’s Core Committee, which decided after consulting party leaders of Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajanagar districts. It is no secret that money is needed to win elections now. But the party has not given ticket to Ramu only because he has money. The party is confident that he can win the election, HDK opined.

Kumaraswamy pointed out that the party in the past had given ticket to Dr. Annadani, a dalit youth, who had no house of his own. “It was I who bore the election expenses of Annadani. There are many instances like this in the history of the party. Everybody in the party must accept party’s decision,” he said adding that the JD(S) has won elections in the past even when Marithibbegowda was not there.

Maintaining that his party has helped graduates when in power, he said that in his both tenures as the head of a coalition Government he had initiated steps to create employments for graduates.

MLAs S.R. Mahesh, K. Mahadev, Ashwinikumar, MLCs C.N. Manjegowda and K.T. Srikantegowda, JD(S) District President Narasimhaswamy and party leaders were present at the press meet.