BENGALURU: Even as BJP-JDS leaders prepared to forge an alliance to take on the Congress in Karnataka’s 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in the 2024 polls, there is growing opposition within the state units of both parties.
The JDS continues to face the wrath of a section of leaders, especially Muslims, including state president C M Ibrahim, who plan to sever their relationship with the party as it’s aligning with the saffron party which they term “communal”.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders’ public stance is likely to put the regional JDS on the backfoot with regard to seat-sharing, which is yet to be finalised. Former Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda on Saturday dared to take on the BJP high command, saying that state leaders were not taken into confidence, and that 75 per cent of party leaders are against the alliance.
Referring to Gowda’s statement, former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday maintained that the alliance and seat-sharing had not been finalised. Senior leader C T Ravi observed that unless workers at the grassroots of both parties are taken into confidence, the going will be tough for the alliance.
“On the day the high command took the alliance decision, I was informed by the party headquarters but have received no more communication. I am in charge of Madhya Pradesh assembly polls and getting busy,” he quipped. He pointed out that in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress-JDS alliance did not work out as only leaders showed up hand in hand on the dais, but that did not go down well with party workers. Former chief minister and JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy, though, expressed confidence that leaders and workers of both parties can work in tandem.
In Hassan, Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru and Chikkaballapura, BJP leaders want their own candidates to contest, and JDS may have to settle for 2-3 seats.
Bond against DK brothers
BJP and JDS leaders have shown enthusiasm to contest from Bengaluru Rural LS seat, the turf of D K Suresh, younger brother of DyCM D K Shivakumar. Vokkaliga leaders Kumaraswamy and BJP’s C P Yogeshwar, who were at loggerheads until recently, are keen to unite against Shivakumar, also a Vokkaliga, and defeat Suresh. On Sunday, Yogeshwar held a meeting of his supporters and BJP workers in Channapatna, while Kumaraswamy met JDS workers of Ramanagara, Kanakapura and Magadi constituencies.