BENGALURU: While central and state leaders of the BJP are trying to tide over the prevailing politically sensitive situation in the state, even as Congress continues to witness internal bickering over the chief minister’s post, JDS is looking to emerge as the alternative ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections in Karnataka. Party senior leader HD Kumaraswamy visited the coastal region on Monday in the wake of three murders in Dakshina Kannada. Kumaraswamy, who has been predicting early polls, is on a state-wide tour, visiting Kalaburagi and JDS stronghold Mandya in recent days.
While BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, visited the family of the victim of their own party, Kumaraswamy met families of victims of all groups and offered help and support. “Both the national parties, in order to gain political mileage, have selfishly indulged in activities sacrificing the peace in Dakshina Kannada,” he alleged.
According to a senior JDS leader, “Our party will gain from this situation as we hold national parties responsible for the unrest here.”Though Kumaraswamy is focusing only on 123 of the total 224 seats in the next Assembly polls, chances of his party fielding candidates from more seats cannot be ruled out. This will upset the prospects of other party contestants, especially from Congress, he added.
In the recent Assembly polls in North India, national parties lost many seats, albeit by a narrow margin. A similar situation may arise in Karnataka too, where JDS could emerge as the kingmaker, he observed.
Kumaraswamy has sent out a clear message that JDS is the alternative to two national parties, with new entrants such as AAP concentrating only on a few seats in certain regions.