Karnataka polls: HD Kumaraswamy ties up with KCR to woo Telugu voters

In a bid to checkmate the BJP and the Congress, former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy is reaching out to Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao as he tries to revive his old base along the border with Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Ahead of assembly elections, Kumaraswamy is doing his best to further cement his political roots in the North Karnataka region on top of with the existing base in Old Mysuru where his ‘Pancha Rathna’ Yatra is gaining momentum.

Also Read: JD(S) will grow beyond old Mysuru and get majority in Karnataka: Kumaraswamy

The JD-S leader is taking help from the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) of KCR, as Chandrashekar Rao is known, to use his influence to win seats in the border belt where Telugu-speaking people live in large numbers.

Kumaraswamy and KCR are friends. The BRS leader seeks advice from Kumaraswamy’s father and former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. The JD-S leader has repeatedly expressed support for the Telangana Chief Minister.

As KCR has national ambitions, the JD-S supports the BRS.

Anti-BJP, anti-Congress

Both parties hope to provide a national alternative to the BJP and Congress in their own bastions as well as nationally.

When the BRS was launched, Kumaraswamy attended the programme in Delhi along with Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Kachi (VCK) chief Thrimuavalan from Tamil Nadu.

BRS has started campaigning for the JD-S. KCR has sent his representative to attend the ‘Pancha Rathna’ Yatra.

Also Read: KCR eyes non-BJP, non-Cong India; may be following Telangana model nationally

Telangana MLA Rajender Reddy said the BRS will campaign for the JD-S in the coming assembly elections in Karnataka.

BRS is not interested in fielding candidates in Karnataka, however.

If the strategy works out, the JD-S will hope to create a base in around 20 constituencies in the Telugu bordering districts, a senior JD-S leader told The Federal.

Derail Congress

“The only strategy of JD-S is to become a kingmaker and form a coalition government for the time being as there is no chance of becoming the single largest party in the coming elections. The main agenda is to restrict the Congress from getting the numbers to form a government,” he said.

The BJP is also struggling because of various factors including anti-incumbency. If the Congress wins fewer seats, the chance for the JD-S becomes brighter to have an alliance with any party.

The JD-S can form a government either with the Congress or BJP based, the party leader added.

Also Read: KCR makes renewed bid to woo Khammam, an outlier in Telangana politics

Bengaluru Rural district, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Tumuru, Chitradurga, Bellary, Raichuru (bordering Andhra Pradesh), Yadgir, Gulbarga and Bidar (bordering Telangana) have Telugu influence in the taluks and villages.

Once these parts were the base for the erstwhile Janata Party and Janata Dal along with the Congress.

Muslim voters

The region is also home to a strong chunk of Muslim voters and they have a soft corner for the JD-S. But the JD-S lost its base severely after tying up with the BJP in 2006.

Now the JD-S wants to gain the confidence of the minorities there.

It is said that AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi will also plunge into the assembly elections in Karnataka in several districts in Muslim-dominated areas.

This will again hamper the Congress dreams in half a dozen seats. It will also indirectly help the BJP.

Also, CM Ibrahim, who resigned from the Congress and became the JD-S state President, will be wooing the Muslim community.