Bangalore/Mandya, Aug 14:With the BJP and JD(S) joining hands for the byelections to the two Lok Sabha and three Legislative Council seats and also launching a joint campaign, many disgruntled leaders from the two parties are joining the Congress.
On Wednesday, BJP leader M Srinivas, a former MP and three-time MLA, joined the Congress in Bangalore. In Mandya, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah welcomed into the party fold the former JD(S) legislator from Maddur, Kalpana Siddaraju. However, she has quit the JD(S) sometime ago. More JD(S) leaders are set to join the Congress on Thursday.
After joining the Congress, Srinivas said the JD(S)-BJP alliance was forged by senior BJP leaders R Ashoka and Ananth Kumar, who went and fell at the feet of the JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda. “This is not the first time that Ananth Kumar has done this. He is trying to ensure that there is support for his candidature during the 2014 general elections,” he said. Speaking to the media on the occasion, KPCC president G Parameshwara said a large-scale political polarisation was happening in the State, opposing the coming together of the BJP and the JD(S). Present on the ocassion was Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA M Munirathna, who defeated M Srinivas in the recent Assembly elections.
On Thursday, senior JD(S) leader and former Bangalore North MP C Narayanaswamy and former speaker Krishna, popularly known as KR Pet Krishna, and other JD(S) leaders are scheduled to join the Congress.
Joint campaign
In an apparent revival of their political alliance last seen during the 2006-07 coalition era, the JD(S) State president H D Kumaraswamy attended a BJP workers’ meeting in Anekal on Tuesday seeking support for his wife Anitha Kumaraswamy, the party candidate from Bangalore Rural Lok Sabha constituency. Kumaraswamy said he required their support to defeat the Congress.
Subsequently, the same evening Kumaraswamy and senior BJP leader Ashoka shared the dais at Puttenahalli, near Padmanabha Nagar in the City. Later, Ashoka told Deccan Herald: “We will campaign along with the JD(S) candidate in Ramanagara also.” Besides, the BJP will campaign for the KJP in the Council bypolls from Mysore Local Authorities constituency. The BJP in-charge of Mysore district, D V Sadananda Gowda, will lead the campaign. “We are going for a ‘mega alliance’ by joining hands with the JD(S), KJP and BSRC,” he said.
BJP Bangalore District president, Sachidananda Murthy said Kumaraswamy and Ashoka are likely to attend the joint campaign in Rajarajeshwari Nagar on Thursday.
Meanwhile, addressing rallies in support of party candidate Ramya for the Mandya seat, at Maddur, Malavalli and Srirangapatna, Siddaramaiah said the JD(S) had entered into an ‘unholy’ alliance for the bypolls only for the sake of power. “Kumaraswamy had tied up with the BJP in the past for the post of chief minister. The end result of that is well known. The JD(S) is again resorting to such a step. People must vote for the Congress to teach the two parties a lesson,” he said.
Ramya prefers not to react
Referring to the insinuations against her by some JD(S) leaders, actor and Congress candidate Ramya on Wednesday said she preferred not to react to them.
Addressing poll rallies in Mandya district, she just appealed to people to exercise their franchise in her favour. Former JD(S) legislator M Srinivas had recently made certain remarks about her paternity, raising a political storm.
