BENGALURU: The BJP and JDS seem to have already forged an alliance with the former prime minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda holding crucial talks with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda in New Delhi recently, even as he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone during the meeting.
Although neither Gowda nor former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy officially confirmed forging the alliance, JDS sources privy to the details of the meeting and BJP leaders, including former CMs BS Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, confirmed it.
According to sources, Gowda held talks with Shah and Nadda in New Delhi on September 5, after which he convened a meeting of JDS leaders at Kumaraswamy’s residence at JP Nagar in Bengaluru the next day. At the meeting in Bengaluru, JDS leaders gave their consent to formally forge an alliance with the BJP. The BJP-JDS alliance is aimed at thwarting the efforts of the ruling Congress in Karnataka from winning more Lok Sabha seats as the latter is looking at bagging at least 20 of the 28 seats in the 2024 general elections, riding on the recent formation of the I.N.D.I.A bloc of 28 parties.
The JDS, according to sources, expects five LS seats, including Hassan, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura and Bengaluru Rural, but would settle for four. The chances of BJP leader CP Yogeshwar contesting on a JDS ticket against the incumbent Congress MP DK Suresh, younger brother of Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president DK Shivakumar, cannot be ruled out, a source said.
Tie-up will help us win 25-26 seats, says BSY
The political future of Mandya’s independent MP Sumalatha Ambareesh would be uncertain as the BJP backed her in the 2019 LS elections. GT Devegowda, JDS core committee chairman, said in Mysuru, “The alliance is inevitable for the survival of the party (JDS). At the preliminary meeting held recently, almost all JDS leaders, including the legislators, favoured the alliance.” Sources said JDS is likely to become part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
Yediyurappa has welcomed the development saying, “I am happy about Gowda Ji meeting our PM. BJP-JDS forging an alliance has been finalised as Shah has agreed to give four seats to JDS, and it will help us win 25-26 seats.” However, JDS sources said the former PM spoke to Modi over the phone.
“We should abide by whatever decision the Delhi leaders (the BJP high command) take. There might be differences, but it is natural in politics. We should welcome the decision of the PM and Shah,” he said.
Bommai said BJP-JDS alliance talks are significant considering the importance of opposition parties in Karnataka uniting to fight against the Congress. “Our high command will decide on seat sharing,” Bommai said. As the 2024 LS polls are crucial for BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), at a meeting held one-and-a-half months ago, deliberated on forging an alliance with JDS, according to sources.
However, union minister Prahlad Joshi in Hubballi said he had no information about the development, while former minister R Ashoka said, “Our central leaders called me up and clarified that no alliance has been forged,” he added.
Not bothered: Siddu, DKS
“We (Congress) are not bothered about who will forge an alliance and contest independently, but we seek votes from the people as they are in favour of us,” quipped CM Siddaramaiah. Dy CM DK Shivakumar on ’X’ said: “Will be very happy if the BJP-JDS ally faces us in the LS polls. But I don’t know how JDS will safeguard its ideology after the alliance. I don’t know if the party will survive or not. I have no objection to their alliance. All the best to them.”
Sudhakar meets HDK
Dr K Sudhakar, ex-MLA of Chikkaballapura, called on former CM and JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy on Friday. Sudhakar reportedly is interested in contesting the LS polls as the incumbent MP of Chikkaballapura Bache Gowda had turned averse to BJP itself. Bache Gowda hit out at JDS for going with an alliance with BJP as he termed the saffron party as ‘communal’. His son Sharat Bache Gowda is Hosakote Congress MLA.