BENGALURU: As Congress and JD(S) leaders prepare to sit across the table to discuss seat-sharing ahead of Lok Sabha polls, one would imagine that common agenda, common goals, common candidates and common campaigns would be the crux of the discussion. Many leaders, however, both in the Congress and the JD(S), are warming up to the idea of a triangular fight in sensitive constituencies.
While a pre-poll alliance would mandate that the two coalition partners have common candidates in all of the 28 constituencies, some leaders within the parties believe that having separate candidates and a friendly fight would be most beneficial in some seats like Chikkaballapur and Hassan.
The idea has not been shot down completely by either party seniors. “In constituencies where both have a strong cadre base, deep grassroots level presence and workers refusing to work with each other, a triangular fight will work the best. The point is to ensure that the BJP does not benefit out of any transfer or abstinence of votes,” said a senior Congress legislator. CM HD Kumaraswamy in the past has made remarks on his party benefiting only when there is a triangular fight in seats like Hassan.
Mandya, Hassan, Mysuru, Chikkaballapur and Tumakuru have been the hotbed of rivalry between JD(S) and Congress, and with the alliance now, leaders of both parties are being forced or at least coaxed into working together. There are not many takers for the appeal in either party.
“With the kind of sway both the Congress and JD(S) have in seats of the old Mysuru region, it would become impossible to arrive at a consensus of a common candidate especially given the rivalry among the cadres. The best way forward for them is to have common candidates in most of the 28 seats but have friendly fights in controversial constituencies,” said Prof Narendar Pani, political analyst and researcher.