NEW DELHI
After the declaration of alliance for Lok Sabha polls between Janata Dal (Secular) and BJP in Karnataka, the two parties have zeroed in on seat sharing as well, whereby the saffron camp would contest on 24 seats out of the 28 and the JDS has agreed to contest on 4 seats. Party leaders are, however, tight-lipped about any development over the seat-sharing formula, and Yediyurappa and other senior leaders have clarified that recent discussions have not yet reached a conclusive outcome. Sources suggest Mandya, Tumkur, Hasan and Chikballapur are the four seats where the JDS has agreed to contest.
According to reports, JDS wanted to contest from Mandya, Hasan, Tumkur, Chickballapur and Bengaluru Rural. However, BJP had offered to contest on four seats—Kolar, Hasan, Mandya and Bengaluru rural. Later, the seat sharing was negotiated again. A political analyst in the state said, “Last time, JDS was expecting that Vokalligas, which constitute around 16% of the Karnataka population, will back the party in full force, but that did not happen. They voted both ways in Assembly elections. Moreover, the Congress has its own Vokaliga leader in D.K. Shivakumar (deputy CM of the state) and, therefore, again much will hinge on these voters (Vokalligas) on such constituencies. If they vote both ways or support the Congress more than last time, JDS won’t be able to win more than one seat. And they will most probably retain the seat of Hasan (contested by Gowda’s grandson Prajwal Revanna).” Back in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the JD(S) had entered into an alliance with the Congress. At that time, both parties were jointly running a coalition government in Karnataka under the leadership of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy. According to this potential arrangement, JD(S) had fielded candidates in 8 Lok Sabha seats, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Tumkur, Hasan, Mandya, Bengaluru North and Vijayapura, out of Karnataka’s total 28 seats and the Congress contested on the rest. However, both parties had disappointing performances, managing to win only one seat each. The BJP emerged as the dominant force in Karnataka, securing victory in 25 seats.