Amid speculation about the elevation of Nikhil Kumaraswamy as Karnataka unit president, the state executive council of the Janata Dal (Secular) will meet here this weekend to elect a head. Currently, Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel HD Kumaraswamy is the president of the state unit, while his father and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda is the national president.
The National Council and the Karnataka State Council will meet to elect presidents of the national and Karnataka units on November 21, followed by a plenary session on November 22 to discuss the current political scenario in the country along with the broader strategies to be adopted by the party. The two-day event will coincide with the party’s silver jubilee.
According to party sources, delegates from several states, including Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand, will participate in the national executive.
Mr. Nikhil was recently inducted into the party’s political affairs committee headed by Bandeppa Kashempur.
The sources did not rule out the possibility of waiting for Mr Nikhil to complete his state tour and promote him before the 2028 parliamentary elections.
However, those close to the Union minister said it was becoming increasingly difficult for Mr. Kumaraswamy to manage both party affairs and look after the work of the ministry. Hence the pressure was on to appoint Mr. Nikhil to the post.
Published – 18 Nov 2025 21:34 IST
