BENGALURU: JDS and its state president HD Kumaraswamy seem to be under tremendous pressure with the seat-sharing formula with its alliance partner BJP remaining inconclusive and Union Home Minister Amit Shah wanting him to contest the Lok Sabha election.
The only little relief till now has been BJP announcing the candidature of Dr CN Manjunath, son-in-law of former prime minister and JDS supremo HD Deve Gowda, from Bengaluru Rural.
“We have sought the Kolar Lok Sabha seat, but BJP is unlikely to concede. They have been insisting on Kumaraswamy contesting from the Chikkaballapur seat,” a JDS leader said. The seat-sharing will be decided at a meeting on Monday, he added.
Kumaraswamy, who called on Shah on Saturday along with Dr Manjunath, is said to have discussed seat sharing issues.
But in a sudden development on Sunday, BJP national president JP Nadda called Mandya independent MP Sumalatha to New Delhi on Monday to convince her not to insist on a BJP ticket from Mandya. She could be placated with the Chikkaballapur seat, sources said.
The regional party that won only one seat in the last Lok Sabha elections in 2019 with Congress being its alliance partner then seems to be in a crisis yet again as it is likely to get only two to three seats,
including Hassan and Mandya. “We want Kumaraswamy to contest from Mandya as only he can match the opponents and get BJP votes in favour of JDS. If not him, his son Nikhil should be fielded from there, otherwise, it will be tough to face Congress candidate Venkataramane Gowda aka Star Chandru, who is moneyed,” say worried JDS workers .
“The alliance seems to have helped BJP as it has nothing to lose in the Old Mysuru region and can only expect its vote base to go up. But JDS will suffer in future,” an analyst observed.