In the wake of the drubbing that opposition parties received in by-elections to the Bangalore Rural and Mandya Lok Sabha constituencies and three council seats, the Janata Dal (Secular) has decided to go it alone in the Lok Sabha elections due next year.
A leader who participated in the core committee meeting held at a resort on the outskirts of Bangalore on Wednesday told Express that the JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda has termed the tacit understanding with the BJP a closed chapter and has decided to field his party candidates in all 28 Lok Sabha constituencies.
Gowda reportedly said at the meeting: “Whatever may be the outcome of the LS polls, we are going to field our candidates in all constituencies.”
“A majority of core committee members were upset over the unilateral decision taken by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly H D Kumaraswamy to have a tacit understanding with the BJP. They complained to Gowda that Kumaraswamy did not consult any state leader or discussed it in the party fora. He took the decision without understanding its implications on the party’s secular credentials. That was one of the reasons why many JD(S) leaders stayed away from the election campaigning,” the leader said.
“Many leaders were apprehensive that they may lose the support of Muslims, SC/STs and Backward Classes, if they had any pre-poll alliance with the BJP in the coming LS polls. ,” he added. Gowda reportedly told the members that he was against the understanding with the BJP from day one.