The former chief minister of Karnataka and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Kumaraswamy said that the party is still open for an alliance with Congress in the state post the upcoming by-elections on December 5.
Kumaraswamy while campaigning for TN Javarayi Gowda in Yeshwantpur on Sunday (November 24) said that JD(S) is ready to form an alliance with the Congress, post-by-elections but has never promised to link with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or save them in the upcoming elections.
This statement by Kumaraswamy comes after the JD(S) supremo HD Devegowda had dismissed the possibility of any tie-up with both BJP and Congress for the upcoming by-elections. Devegowda had said that both the national parties are not trustworthy to form an alliance and was reluctant to link with Congress after 2018 elections.
JD(S) needs to win 6 seats in polls to stay in power
JD(S) has 34 MLAs in the legislative assembly and needs to win six seats in the elections to stay in power. Kumaraswamy did not mention which party JD(S) will support saying that his party will give the answer after the results of the elections are out on December 9 for the 15 assembly seats in the state.
The All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, KC Venugopal also dismissed the claims of JD(S) supporting BJP as both Congress and JD(S) are focusing on a common goal that is working against the disqualified legislators who paved way for the saffron party to come into power.
The Union Minister and BJP leader DV Sadananda Gowda had claimed that both Congress and JD(S) are facing an existential crisis and the party leaders Siddaramaiah and Kumaraswamy will destroy their parties after the by-polls. He claimed that Siddaramaiah has become a one-man army in Congress as his own party leaders were upset with his functioning as the congress legislature party leader.
