Is there some malicious intent behind Kumaraswamy-Radhika pictures going viral now?

Just days ahead of his oath-taking ceremony as the new chief minister of Karnataka, HD Kumaraswamy has been haunted by a past relationship.

Bengaluru, May 21: Just days ahead of his oath-taking ceremony as the new chief minister of Karnataka, Janata United (Secular) (JD(S)) leader HD Kumaraswamy has been haunted by a past relationship. Pictures of Kumaraswamy and Kannada actress Radhika are going viral on social media, once again. The CM-designate of the Congress-JD(S) alliance has also been called as a "bigamist" on social media.

Kumaraswamy (58) was reportedly in a relationship with the actress. The couple together has a daughter also. Kumaraswamy's relationship with Radhika has been a part of the gossip columns for the last few years.

Kumaraswamy, who is married to Anitha with a grown-up son Nikhil, reportedly fell in love with the actress, almost two decades his junior, a few years ago. There are also reports that both got married after the birth of their daughter. Now, reports say the decade-old relationship has ended two years ago.

Since the pictures of Kumaraswamy with his second wife (who is not legitimate as per the Hindu law as he still lives with his first wife Anitha) are doing the rounds, it has caused a lot of distress to the JD(S) and the entire HD Deve Gowda, father of Kumaraswamy and former Prime Minister, family.

A film industry source close to the Deve Gowda family told The Telegraph, "At the moment Anitha is his legally wedded wife." The source added that Kumaraswamy's relationship with Radhika was a "closed chapter".

"An old issue that was settled amicably has been raked up only because Kumaraswamy is going to be the chief minister. Why wasn't this discussed until last week?" asked the person who spoke to The Telegraph.

After the Karnataka Assembly election results gave a fractured mandate, the Congress and the JD(S) formed an alliance to stake their claim to form the government. Finally, the alliance partners, after the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP's) BS Yeddyurappa resigned as the CM of the state on Saturday, just minutes before the floor test, are set to come to power in Karnataka.

Kumaraswamy's oath-taking ceremony will take place on Wednesday in Bengaluru. On Saturday, Kumaraswamy met Karnataka governor Vajubhai Vala to stake claim to form the government in Karnataka.

Vala gave him 15 days to prove his majority on the floor of the house. Kumaraswamy stated that he would prove his majority much before that as the Congress-JD(S) together has 115 MLAs and support of two more Independents, which is way past the required numbers.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy will be meeting Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the national capital to discuss about the sharing of cabinet berths between the two parties.

Several top opposition leaders like West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu are set to attend Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony.