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Talks held with BJP but no consensus on seats, says Deve Gowda
The veteran leader said his son HD Kumaraswamy will discuss the seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP and take a final decision
Janata Dal (Secular) chief and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Sunday said his party has held discussions with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to form an alliance in Karnataka for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, while clarifying that seat-sharing consensus has not yet been achieved.
Addressing the JD(S) workers’ convention at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru, the veteran leader said his son and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy will discuss the seat-sharing arrangement with the BJP and take a final decision.
“It is true that the BJP approached us regarding an alliance for the Lok Sabha elections. PM [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi, [Union home minister] Amit Shah respect me. They know about my behaviour. But I have not asked for any seats in particular yet. I have explained about each seat,” Deve Gowda said.
The nonagenarian further pointed out that the BJP does not have strong presence in Hassan, Mandya, Ramanagara, Kolar and Tumakuru districts of Karnataka.
“The BJP should not think that the JD(S) does not have votes in these places either. I have mentioned it during the discussion. I have also told the BJP that they will win elections in Vijayapura, Raichur and Bidar only if our party supports them,” Deve Gowda said. “Kumaraswamy will discuss regarding the seat sharing and take the final decision.”
The JD(S) chief’s statement comes a day after Kumaraswamy had said that discussions with the BJP to contest the next year’s parliamentary elections together were still in initial stages. Speculations of a BJP-JD(S) coalition grew louder on Friday, when former chief minister BS Yediyurappa — the tallest BJP leader in the southern state — said that both parties have come to an agreement that the JD(S) would contest four of the state’s 28 Lok Sabha seats leaving the remaining for the BJP.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the JD(S) fought seven seats but won just one — the Gowda family pocket borough of Hassan. The BJP won 25 of the 28 seats, while the Congress won one. The remaining one seat was bagged by an independent candidate, who joined the BJP earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Deve Gowda also appealed to his party leaders not to take any decision “in haste” amid speculations that several ticket aspirants for the Lok Sabha polls were weighing their options in case the party decided to contest fewer seats.
“Some people in the party say they will go to the Congress. But I asked them not to take any decision in haste,” Deve Gowda said. “We don’t know how many seats the BJP will give us. Kumaraswamy will talk to PM Modi and finalise the seat-sharing. After the seats are finalised, I will go to all the constituencies and campaign.”
He also expressed confidence of his party’s revival in the southern state. “The JD(S) will survive and grow in this election… The workers are the strength of our party.”
Kumaraswamy on Sunday said his party’s aim is to defeat the Congress in the upcoming national elections. He also refuted speculations about divisions within the JD(S), saying all 19 party legislators are together.
“Our aim is to expose the corrupt Congress government and defeat them in upcoming elections. There are no internal issues in our party and all 19 MLAs are together. Even if an issue arises, we know how to solve it,” Kumaraswamy told reporters.
He reiterated his remarks that alliance talks with the BJP are a work in progress.
Speaking at the JD(S) convention, party’s state president CM Ibrahim, however, said there is no urgency or necessity to form an alliance with anyone. “If the horse is good, the buyer will come. You don’t have to take the horse to the market. JD(S) has showed that it can’t be sold in the market,” Ibrahim said. “We will take a good decision on alliance at the right time.”
Reacting on the BJP-JD(S) tie-up talks, senior Congress leader and chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said: “I used to refer to them as the B team of the BJP, and JD(S) leaders would get upset with me. Now they are aligning with the BJP. Despite having secular in their party name, they are aligning with the communal BJP.”
