The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : JD(U) likely to contest elections independently

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 11, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

JD(U) likely to contest elections independently

K.N. Venkatasubba Rao

Bangalore: Even as the State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party is finalising the list of its candidates for the Assembly elections in the State, the State unit of the Janata Dal (United) is considering the option of contesting the elections on its own. This is because the BJP did not consult the party while finalising the list of its candidates for constituencies in Bangalore urban district.

State JD(U) general secretary G.K.C. Reddy told The Hindu that the party would wait till the weekend to see if the issue could be sorted out amicably. “We do not want break the alliance talks. If the BJP fails to listen to us we will be forced to contest on our own.”

Although the party has a drawn up a list of 120 candidates, it has short-listed 54 candidates, including party president B. Somashekar (Malavalli) and the former MLA Madhuswamy (Chikkanayakanahalli). Taking note of the BJP’s disinclination for an electoral alliance, the party has held informal talks with some Bahujan Samaj Party leaders, including the former Minister P.G.R. Sindhia, and leaders of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha for an electoral understanding.

A meeting of JD(U) functionaries here on Wednesday unanimously opposed an alliance with the BJP.

With the patching up of simmering differences between the partners in the National Democratic Alliance at the national level, it was thought that an electoral alliance between the BJP and the JD(U) in the State would be a smooth affair.

But the BJP’s “indifference” towards the JD(U), its public statements that it would contest on its own and its poaching of influential candidates, particularly those belonging to the Lingayat community, from other parties has sent the wrong signals, according to JD(U) leaders. The BJP won over the JD(U) MLC Basavaraj Bommai and “usurped” the JD(U) office in Hubli, alleged senior party leader M.P. Nadagouda, MLC.

‘Not pragmatic’

From Mr. Somashekar’s point of view, the BJP’s “confidence that if can form the Government on its own with the help of one forward community is not pragmatic”. The ideals of leaders such as the former Chief Minister Ramakrishna Hegde and Abdul Nazir Sab are still relevant to the JD(U) and society at large. “The BJP has forgotten that in 1999 the JD(U) contested 96 constituencies and won 18 seats. It lost 40 seats with margins of 2,000 votes or less,” he said.

Permission sought

JD(U) general secretaries Basavaraj Godachi and G.K.C. Reddy told reporters here on Thursday that the State unit of the party had requested the national leadership to allow it to contest the elections independent of the BJP with which it had an alliance in the 2004 elections.

They said the party had also urged its leadership to permit it to explore the possibility of aligning with like-minded parties in the larger interests of democracy.

They said that the BJP’s plans to fight the elections independently would divide the anti-Congress vote and prove to be a boon to the Congress. The BJP was ignoring the electoral importance of the other constituents of the National Democratic Alliance, they said.

The party intended to field 54 candidates in the first phase of the elections. It had submitted the list of prospective candidates to party president Sharad Yadav. The list would be announced by him if the BJP declined to respond to the party’s proposal on an electoral alliance, they said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka