The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : State JD(U) in the doldrums

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State JD(U) in the doldrums

S. Rajendran

Somashekar confident party will regain its strength

The party won five seats in the 2004 Assembly elections
Only one former MLA and one MLC left with the party

Bangalore: The Janata Dal (United) in Karnataka is in the doldrums with virtually the entire rank and file deserting it and crossing over to the Congress, the Bharatiya Janata Party and to the Janata Dal (Secular).

The only leader who has remained loyal to the party from the day it was founded in 1999 is State unit president and former Minister B. Somashekar, who has remained steadfast attached to “value-based” politics, a slogan coined by the former Chief Minister, late Ramakrishna Hegde.

Compared with 18 MLAs who were elected on Janata Dal (United) ticket in the 1999 Assembly elections, the party won only five seats in the 2004 Assembly elections. This has now touched a new low with the party left with only one former MLA (J.C. Madhuswamy) and one MLC in M.P. Nadagouda. Mr. Somashekar lost the 2004 elections.

The biggest gainer in the fragmentation of the Janata Dal (United) is, however, the BJP although the Janata Dal (Secular) has been cutting into the strength of the Janata Dal (United) since 2002 when the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda utilised the support of the Janata Dal (United) to win the all-important Kanakapura byelection.

While political observers then believed that the Janata Dal (Secular) would merge with the All India Progressive Janata Dal (which was carved out of the Janata Dal-United in the aftermath of the Kanakapura byelection), the Janata Dal (Secular) chose to virtually break the former party by drawing out its leaders M.P. Prakash, H.S. Mahadev Prasad, P.G.R. Sindhia and B.N. Bacche Gowda among others. In the latest round of party hopping, Janata Dal (United) MLC Basavaraj Bommai and the former MLA M.S. Akki have crossed over to the BJP.

Recently, the former Chief Minister, H.D. Kumaraswamy “poached” three of the five Janata Dal (United) MLAs —Nagamani Nage Gowda, H. Anjaneya and B. Sarikar. While Mr. Sarikar and Ms. Nagmani Nage Gowda have remained with the Janata Dal (Secular), Mr. Anjaneya has since crossed over to the M.P. Prakash camp which again is in the process of crossing over to the Congress.

Mr. Somashekar has, however, remained unperturbed over the developments and is of the view that the party will get back its strength in the run-up to the elections. “It is unfortunate that many of the leaders have left, but they were all self-centred leaders. It is quite obvious that their interest is only in enjoying power. The Janata Dal (United) has suffered several rounds of setbacks over the past few years. We are looking forward for an alliance with the BJP and if it does not come through, we will try forming an alternative to the Congress and the BJP. Merging with or associating with the Janata Dal (Secular) is not possible,” he said.

He told The Hindu that his confidence that the Janata Dal (United) would again gain in strength stems from the fact that the people want the Janata Parivar to come back.

‘Happy with BJP’

Three time MLC, Basavaraj Bommai, who has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party after having been with the Janata Dal (United) for nearly five years told The Hindu he was happy to join the BJP and felt that the BJP would gain in strength in coming Assembly elections.

On charges that he had sabotaged the growth of the Janata Dal (United), Mr Bommai said: “It is far from truth. I did all that I could for the good of the party. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Somashekar who is the president of the party.”

Incidentally, Mr. Basavaraj Bommai in the company of his father, the late S.R. Bommai, was one of the founding members of Janata Dal (Secular) along with the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda.

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