When all exit polls predicted that Janata Dal Secular (JDS) will play a crucial role in the formation of government in Karnataka, party leader HD Kumaraswamy had said that he will not play the role of a kingmaker but will instead be the King. With the results indicating that Karnataka is heading towards a hung assembly, Kumaraswamy can indeed become the Chief Minister of the state. The Congress has already extended its support to the JDS and agreed to accept Kumaraswamy as the Chief Minister.
Kumaraswamy contested the 2018 elections from the Ramanagaram and Channapatna constituencies respectively. The decision by the JDS leader to contest from these two seats in Ramanagaram district is seen as an opportunity for the party to return to the centre stage of Karnataka politics. Claiming that people are seeking a "chance" for good governance, Kumaraswamy had said there is an "undercurrent" in favour of the JDS across the state.
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The eighteenth Chief Minister of Karnataka was for a very long time overshadowed by his father, HD Deve Gowda’s persona. Kumaraswamy had taken over as the Chief Minister of Karnataka in February 2006. During his term as the Chief Minister, he tried to bring handle the administration in a way different from his father and former PM HD Deve Gowda for which he was fondly called the people's CM.
Kumaraswamy resigned from his post after a power-sharing agreement between the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fell through due to complications in the transfer of power. However, he reconciled later with the BJP and agreed to support BJP's B S Yeddyurappa who was sworn in as the chief minister in November 2007.
Kumaraswamy initially had no interest in politics. Despite being the son of a former PM, his interest lied in movies. He produced several successful Kannada films. He had himself admitted that he used to wear clothes which Rajkumar wore in the movies, especially similar pants in his younger days.
