HDK may step down as oppn leader

The JD-S, in its next week Legislature Party meeting, has decided to formally accept the resignation of H D Kumaraswamy as the party chief in Karnataka in the backdrop of its loss in recent by-elections to two Lok Sabha seats in the state.

"The resignation of Kumaraswamy will be formally accepted in the JD-S Legislature Party meeting convened on August 29. The meeting will also decide on the new party chief," party supremo and Kumaraswamy's father H D Deve Gowda told reporters . Shocked by the ruling Congress humbling JD-S in its strongholds of Mandya and Mysore constituencies, Kumaraswamy he was also thinking of quitting as the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.

Congress' D K Suresh defeated JD-S' Anita Kumaraswamy, wife of Kumaraswamy, in Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency by over 126,000 votes and in Mandya, actor Ramya of Congress beat C S Puttaraju of the JD-S by nearly 70,000 votes. The JD-S meeting will also discuss on Kumaraswamy's continuance as Opposition Leader in the Assembly, Gowda said.

Gowda said he was against the tie up with BJP for by-elections to Mandya and Bangalore Rural parliamentary seats, but went ahead after some leaders aired their views. The former Prime Minister said he was not 'unduly' perturbed with the results of the by-election and will continue to make strong efforts to strengthen the party in the state ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.