BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress president DK Shivakumar said on Thursday that Janata Dal Secular (JDS) may soon merge with BJP.
Addressing Congress workers here, he said going by Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s attitude, the merger is likely to happen anytime. This will benefit Congress as it can take on BJP directly. Shivakumar said many BJP leaders have appreciated the state government’s work in Bengaluru.
“To save its identity, JDS has announced that it prefers a ‘friendly fight’ with BJP in the elections to local bodies. Such a ‘friendly fight’ would create confusion among JDS workers. The regional party should have had a seat-sharing arrangement with BJP. He said Congress considers 2026 a year of elections. Winning or losing elections is part of politics.
The government has filed an affidavit before the court to hold elections to the city corporations in Bengaluru soon,” he said.
Shivakumar said many are eager to contest the elections as Congress candidates and 779 have taken application forms from the party office.