Contrary to the Janata Dal (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's decision to form an alliance with the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, C M Ibrahim, the President of the JD(S) unit in Karnataka, hinted at a possible split, asserted that his faction represents the true essence of the JD(S) as a 'secular' party.
JD(S) leader and Karnataka state party chief CM Ibrahim. (ANI)
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
"Those who want to come with us can come, those who want to leave can do so. We will see how many MLAs are with which side," Ibrahim said speaking to ANI on Monday.
On not abiding by national president HD Deve Gowda's diktat on the party's alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP), he said, "I am the state party president...Where are you in Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Maharashtra? How come are you the national president? At least I have Karnataka with me."
Ibrahim said that the state leadership will decide with whom should they form any alliance, except the BJP.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
{{^usCountry}}
"We will decide with whom will we form an alliance except the BJP. There are only two, one INDIA and the other NDA. We will talk with them and decide on our own in Karnataka," he said.
{{/usCountry}}
{{#usCountry}}
"We will decide with whom will we form an alliance except the BJP. There are only two, one INDIA and the other NDA. We will talk with them and decide on our own in Karnataka," he said.
{{/usCountry}}
The JDS state chief claimed that he shares good ties with former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy but he urged them to "come back" to the party's fold.
"Kumaraswamy is like my little brother. Deve Gowda is like my father. Please come back and strengthen the JDS. In time people will support us. We must have lost one election. But elections are held every year," Ibrahim said.
{{^htLoading}} {{/htLoading}}
Ibrahim added that he is happy with the support shown towards his party faction from every district in the state.
"I am happy that people have come from every district. We don't have money but people want to come with us. What does it mean? What we have in our heart is also in theirs," he said.
The JDS in September announced an alliance with the BJP and joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
{{^usCountry}}{{/usCountry}}
Get the latest City News, local updates, weather alerts and breaking stories from Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other major cities across India on Hindustan Times.
Get the latest City News, local updates, weather alerts and breaking stories from Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other major cities across India on Hindustan Times.
Home/Cities/Bengaluru News/‘Will decide who to form alliance with except BJP’: JDS state prez Ibrahim
{{^htLoading}}
Advertisement
{{/htLoading}}
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
{{#usCountry}}{{/usCountry}}
Notifications
Get breaking alerts directly from the newsroom
Notifications are on!You'll be notified when news breaks
