In the wake of the drubbing the Opposition parties received in the recent byelections to the Bangalore Rural and Mandya Lok Sabha constituencies and the three Council seats, the JD(S) 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: “Party 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 leaders nor discussed it in 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 have pre-poll alliance with the BJP in the coming LS polls. The campaigning by BJP leader R Ashok in support of JD(S) candidate in Bangalore Rural LS constituency not only exposed the alliance, but also became an issue for the ruling Congress to flay the secular credentials of our party. The members opined that any alliance with the BJP at this point is nothing but suicidal,” he added.
Gowda reportedly gave a patient hearing to the members’ opinion and told them that he was against the understanding with the BJP from day one. But when he made his statement ruling out such an alliance, it was too late as Kumaraswamy had already held talks with state BJP leaders and finalised the pact, he added.
“Members have welcomed Gowda’s decision and decided to work hard in constituencies where they are strong, particularly in some districts of South Karnataka,” the leader noted.
“It was a free and fair meeting and all members were allowed to express their opinion frankly. A few members opined that Kumaraswamy’s decision was because he wanted to defeat the Congress in the byelections by taking support of non-Congress parties. Still, all members told Gowda that they will abide by whatever decision he takes,” the leader said.