BENGALURU: Polls to four Legislative Council seats two each from graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies, scheduled for October 23 will be a test of coordination between the NDA allies ahead of the 2028 Assembly elections. With an eye on winning all four seats, BJP state president B Y Vijayendra and Union Minister and JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy held a joint meeting with leaders of their respective parties here on Saturday to chalk out a strategy for the polls.
“We have to work together and contest the elections jointly. The four seats have to be won by the BJP and JDS together,” Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje told reporters after the meeting.
She said the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency was also important for the alliance. “We had earlier won the Bengaluru seat through Narahari K. We have to win all four seats this time by working together,” she said. The meeting focused on constituency-wise coordination, mobilisation of BJP and JDS cadres and ensuring transfer of votes between the allies. Leaders stressed that the elections should be fought as an NDA contest rather than as separate BJP or JDS campaigns.
The NDA has fielded BJP candidates in three constituencies -- S V Sankanur in the West Graduates’ constituency, Shashil Namoshi in the Northeast Teachers’ constituency and K M Suresh in the Southeast Graduates’ constituency all Veerashaiva Lingayats, while JDS has fielded A P Ranganath, a Vokkaliga, from the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency.
The Congress had announced its candidates in December last year itself. They are former MLCs Mohan Limbikai (West Graduates) and Sharanappa Matthur (North East Teachers), Shashi Hulikuntemutt (South East Graduates) -- all Veerashaiva Lingayats and sitting MLC Puttanna (Bengaluru Teachers), a Vokkaliga.