In a major political development in poll bound Karnataka, the third force is emerging to take on ruling Congress and its anti-incumbency factor. The JD(S) and BSP alliance, which was announced in Delhi recently, has now shifted to Karnataka where BSP supremo Mayawati and JD(S) chief Devegowda were working out strategies to take on the Congress and the BJP.
The presence of BSP leader Mayawati in Bengaluru with the JD(S) supremo as an alliance partner on Saturday has sent some shivers down the Congress which is banking on Dalits and Muslim votes. She had said in Delhi recently that there was a big anti-incumbency against the Congress Government in Karnataka. “Our alliance is set to tap the anti-incumbency vote which otherwise would have gone to BJP,” she had said.
According to the strategy the new alliance would focus on the Dalit (24%) and Muslim (13%) voters, crucial to Congress to win the Karnataka polls. According to political pundits this is the first time since 1996 Mayawati had a pre poll alliance which is significant to defeat the Congress. Deve Gowda is also trying to bring NCP and already in talks with Sharad Pawar.
JDs chief HD Kumaraswamy said his party would give 40 seats to the alliance partners which include BSP and NCP in the ensuing polls. He said that 20 seats will be contested by BSP and six to seven seats to NCP in Mumbai Karnataka and rest by the farmer groups in the 224 seats. Kumaraswamy expressed confidence that with the alliance partners the JDs will secure 30 per cent of the vote share to form the Government.
The JD(S) is also in talks with the left parties to join an alliance which is expected to become an alternative force to the Congress and the BJP. This is for the first time JDs is entering pre poll alliance and would have an impact in the elections which are crucial for both the congress and the BJP. BSP had secured 2.74 per cent vote share in the 2008 elections and plunged in to just 0.91 percent in the 2013 assembly polls. It was in 1994—its first election in the state—that BSP had opened its account in Karnataka. Syed Zulfikar Hashmi was elected from Bidar in north Karnataka. He later quit the party.
Kumaraswamy said the youth were disillusioned with the congress and would be potential voters for the JDs. He said farmer groups and Dalits and muslims will also look at JDs instead of the congress.
The JD(S) in 2004 had won 58 seats with a vote share of 20.77% and formed a coalition government with the Congress first and the BJP later. In 2008 and 2013, it won 28 seats (19.44% votes share) and 40 seats (20.22% vote share) respectively.
Kumaraswamy said many congressmen were disillusioned with Siddaramaiah led Congress and will follow JDs. He said there is also a great following for NCP chief Sharad Pawar and would help us in Mumbai Karnataka.