Siddaramaiah unfazed by BJP and JD(S) poll alliance for LS elections

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed his indifference towards the BJP and JD(S) poll alliance for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, asserting his confidence in the support of the people for the Congress party.

Siddaramaiah's comments followed an announcement by senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa regarding the saffron party's understanding with the JD(S) led by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which stirred political tensions in the state.

Addressing mediapersons Siddaramaiah said, "Whether there will be an alliance or whether they will fight separately, I am not bothered".

"We will appeal to the people to vote. People are with us. They will vote for us," the chief minister said when his reaction was sought.

Earlier, Yediyurappa, who is also the BJP parliamentary board member told reporters that as part of the poll understanding, the JD(S) will contest in four Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, which has a total of 28 constituencies.

"BJP and JD(S) will have an understanding. Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) has agreed to give four Lok Sabha seats (to JD(S))," the four-time chief minister said.

The BJP swept the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka by winning 25 seats, while an independent backed by it won in one seat. The Congress and JD(S) won one seat each.

JD(S) had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in alliance with Congress, as both parties were then running a coalition government under the Chiefministership of Gowda's son H D Kumaraswamy.

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, termed the development as not new.

"Let them do it (have an understanding)....earlier too they had done it when Ashokanna (BJP leader R Ashoka) and Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy) had come together in the previous (BJP-JDS coalition) government. Nothing wrong let them do anything for their survival. But my question is how their (JDS) ideology works? Deve Gowda at earlier situations had ruled out alliance with BJP," he said.

Raising questions on JD(S)' survival in the future, Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief said, "It is left for them. They would have built a party based on an ideology... I don't know what will happen to their party, their legislators, former legislators. It is left for them."

(With agency inputs)