The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) seem to have reached a consensus to fight the Lok Sabha polls together in 2024. The BJP has offered the regional party from Karnataka four Lok Sabha seats, while JDS supremo and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda is said to be insisting on five seats. While the discussions continue, both the parties are likely to formally declare the alliance on September 13.
Gowda travelled to New Delhi on September 4 to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the alliance. The JDS had initially demanded eight seats, while the BJP offered only three. Eventually, the BJP agreed to four seats, even as the JDS insisted on five. The regional party is likely to get Hassan, Mandya, Bengaluru Rural and Tumakuru Lok Sabha seats. The JDS wants Chikkaballapura Lok Sabha seat as well, but the BJP, which currently holds the seat, is not keen.
Lingayat strongman and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa let the cat out of the bag by declaring the alliance a done deal. “I welcome the alliance. Gowda has already met the Prime Minister and finalized the alliance for four seats,” said BSY.
JDS sources say it won’t be a full-fledged alliance where leaders from both parties will campaign in each other’s constituencies. “It is best to term it as a seat-sharing understanding,” says a senior JDS source.
“If Gowda has spoken, you should ask him. I will give my personal opinion in the party forum. Gowda will give clarity on this. As a state president, I can tell you that we haven’t discussed anything related to it in the party forum,” said CM Ibrahim, JDS, Karnataka Unit President.
The Congress was quick to mock the JDS, asking what happens to the secular ideology that the regional party claimed to stand for. “It’s not wrong, it about their survival. But I don’t know how their ideology works. Gowda had earlier said that he would not go at any cost. They have built a party based on a certain ideology. Don’t know what will happen to their party and MLAs. I can’t be a spokesman for their party. It’s not new. I wish them all the best,” said deputy CM D K Shivakumar.
The BJP and JDS first got into an alliance in 2006 to form the government, where both the parties agreed to share the post of the Chief Minister for 20 months each. Gowda’s son HD Kumaraswamy became the Chief Minister, but refused to support B S Yeddyurappa when the time came to transfer power.
Collateral damage of this alliance seems to be independent MP Sumalatha from Mandya, who is backing the BJP. She is likely to be rehabilitated elsewhere after this alliance. She had defeated HDK’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy in 2019 from Mandya Lok Sabha seat.
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