HD Deve Gowda speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the budget session on February 4. | Photo credit: PTI
Speculation is rife over the political future of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, a non-generational politician known for his shrewdness and survival instincts in his more than six-decade career, with the ongoing Parliament session being the last in his current tenure.
The term of the Janata Dal (Secular) and his party’s lone member in the Rajya Sabha is due to end in June, and the regional party does not have the numbers to secure his re-election. This is Mr. Gowda’s second term in the Rajya Sabha after the first in 1996 when he was the 11th Prime Minister.
Eyes on BJP
All eyes are now on the BJP, the JD(S) ally in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is likely to win one seat with its tally in the legislature. Congress has the potential to win three out of four seats.
Another veteran leader, Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, is also among the four retiring from Karnataka.
BJP-JD(S) has 84 votes, including 18 votes of JD(S), giving the alliance one seat. Two of the BJP members have turned rebels and are seen in the Congress camp.
Many JD(S) Hindu sources reached out to say that Mr. Gowda is yet to specify his future plans. “If he wishes to stay in the Rajya Sabha, he can talk to top BJP leaders directly. Many seniors at the national level also want him to stay in the Rajya Sabha. His health and age should also enable him to contribute meaningfully to the discussions,” a party source said.
In active politics
Mr. Gowda has often said that he plans to remain in active politics till his end to strengthen the party.
The move to the Rajya Sabha in 2020 was made easier for Mr Gowda with the support of the Congress, with Sonia Gandhi playing an active role, even though the JD(S) did not have the numbers then either.
This comes after his defeat as the JD(S)-Congress alliance candidate from the Vokkaliga stronghold of Tumakuru in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after he vacated the Hassan seat to his grandson Prajwal Revann. The Congress-JD(S) coalition government fell earlier in July 2019. Incidentally, the JD(S) entered into an alliance with the BJP in 2023, ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Mr. Gowda, who also served as Chief Minister from 1994 to 1996, entered the legislature in 1962 and became actively involved in state and national level politics. He was an important leader in the formation of the Third Front before his party merged with the BJP.
Beyond the numbers
A JD(S) source claimed that though they were at a numerical disadvantage, the former prime minister’s position brings value to the NDA. “He also remained a big figure for the Vokkaligas in Karnataka, a community that the BJP has so far failed to make good inroads into,” he pointed out.
Several BJP sources said the matter was not under discussion and one source said the party’s Rajya Sabha candidate could be discussed later this month. Another BJP source said the party is likely to nominate a person who could — on the basis of caste or regional combination — yield political dividends.
“With or without Rajya Sabha membership, Mr. Gowda’s position is not diminished. Re-nomination is a sensitive issue that needs to be handled carefully. We do not know how the Prime Minister would ultimately decide.”
Published – 17 Feb 2026 20:09 IST