MYSURU: With zilla and taluk panchayat elections likely in June, JDS that failed to do well in the Assembly polls is keen to bounce back in the local body elections. JDS Youth Wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy has started the spadework by holding talks with MLAs, MLCs, former legislators and aspirants to fight the polls effectively and to take control of the Old Mysuru region.
As panchayat elections can prove their strength in the region, which is the backyard of both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the JDS leadership held a closed-door meeting with party functionaries, probable candidates and strong aspirants on Tuesday. The opinion of party workers from all the assembly segments in Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Mandya was sought.
Sources said many party leaders claimed that they have a strong organisational base to win on their own in many taluks and appealed to the party leadership to go by the party’s strength in each seat. Many felt this election should be aimed at rejuvenating the cadre and make the party stronger in Old Mysuru, so that they can bargain better with BJP, the party’s alliance partner, during the Assembly elections.
Nikhil heard the leaders and assured them that views of party workers will be taken seriously and nothing will be done against the interest of party workers. He said the party leadership will tour across the state to listen to party workers. Their opinions will be considered before any deal is struck with BJP for the ZP-TP polls.
Nikhil claimed that the BJP leadership has treated both party supremo HD Deve Gowda and Union minister HD Kumaraswamy with great respect. BJP workers have worked in tandem with JDS, helping win 19 Lok Sabha seats, he added.
The meeting focused on strengthening the party organisation and Nikhil announced that the digital membership drive will be launched on March 14.
He clarified that he is not in the race for state president’s post as many in the party want Kumaraswamy to continue. He denied that a section within the party is against him becoming party president. “My priority is to take out visiting card leaders and give some position to grassroots workers who stood with us in difficult times over the years,” he said.
Nikhil said that though the government claims be the saviour of the Constitution and Dalit rights, it is diverting funds from the SC/ST corporation to implement the guarantee schemes. He said Congress has used Dalits as vote bank and is not interested in their uplift.