Haradanahalli Devegowda Revanna, the elder son of the former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, has always aspired to become chief minister of Karnataka. But his dream remains unfulfilled, and people close to Revanna say it will continue to remain unfulfilled as long as his brother H.D. Kumaraswamy is in politics.
He has earned this moniker through Kumaraswamy’s first term as chief minister (2006-07) and now in his second term as well for Revanna enjoys a role of extreme power in the state administration. This power stems not just out of fear, but also the respect he commands among the bureaucracy for his blunt approach and swift administrative action.