Trouble in JDS ranks makes Kumaraswamy lean towards BJP

BENGALURU, 20 Sep 2021 [Fik/News Sources]: Rising troubles from within his party seem to have made senior JDS leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy lean towards the ruling BJP in Karnataka. 

It was quite evident when he stated on the floor of the Assembly recently that the increase in prices of petrol and diesel and essential commodities is inevitable, while the other opposition party Congress had stoked it as a major issue ahead of the legislature session that began on September 13.

The regional party has been suffering due to an open rebellion by its senior members, like MLA GT Deve Gowda -- who represents the Chamundeshwari constituency in the old Mysuru region, and MLA K Srinivasa Gowda, who is from Kolar.

The two legislators have hinted that they could join the Congress ahead of Assembly elections next year to protect their political future.

Joining this list of disgruntled leaders is former MLA and party senior N H Konareddy, who recently tendered his resignation as party national general secretary owning moral responsibility for the party’s debacle in the Hubballi-Dharwad City Corporation elections.

Sensing the danger, Kumaraswamy called him and tried to persuade him not to leave the party. 

Konareddy, besides Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti, is a torchbearer for the party in North Karnataka. Horatti too spoke to Konareddy, sources said.

‘Can’t rule out JDS forming alliance with AAP, AIMIM’

Though Konareddy, while talking to The New Indian Express, denied that he would leave the party and join Congress, he did say, “Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Siddaramaiah has been fond of me since his days in JDS,” leaving a lot to guesswork.

Senior Congress leader Allam Veerabhadrappa, who heads the committee to screen newcomers to the party, said many JDS leaders from North Karnataka want to join Congress as they do not see a future for JDS.

“But Konareddy joining us has not been discussed yet,” he clarified.

The developments within JDS may also have an impact on the elections to mayor and deputy mayor posts in the Kalaburagi City Corporation, which has thrown a hung House.

Congress has won 27 seats, BJP 23, JDS four and independent one. The four JDS corporators have won mostly from the ‘secular’ vote base as two of them are from the Muslim community and one a Dalit.

Yet, Kumaraswamy may take the risk and support BJP.

Developments like Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai calling on JDS patriarch HD Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy leading a delegation of his party MLAs to the chief minister on the day of corporation poll results indicate that BJP is not averse to JDS.

Already, the two parties are in alliance at the Mysuru City Corporation.

“But if Kumaraswamy continues to be soft on BJP, especially in North Karnataka, it may boomerang as some of the partymen may join Congress,” said a senior party leader from North Karnataka.

Political analyst Sagheer Ahmed said that the chances of JDS forming a pre-poll alliance with parties like AIMIM and AAP cannot be ruled out to make up for the loss of its leaders, who switch over to Congress.