Cong, JD(S) in tactical tie-up in Karnataka

21-04-09 Confronted by a formidable challenge from BJP and driven by the mutual interest to increase their respective tallies to firm up their post-poll positions, Congress and JD(S) are working on a tactical understanding on a select number of Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, even as H D Deve Gowda continues to act as a leading light of the anti-Congress, anti-BJP third front.

It is learnt that in a number of important seats in the state, both Congress and JD(S) have tactically agreed to lend an informal helping hand to the strongest of the two candidates against BJP, even though none will formally withdraw their candidates from the fray as it could strengthen BJP nominees’ claim to be the only rightful claimant to the anti-Congress votes.

Instead, in those seats where the two have reached an understanding, the weaker party is making sure it is not campaigning too seriously for its nominee. These tactical seats are, obviously, selected on solid caste considerations.

JD(S) leader and former chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, was quite candid about this tactical approach. “At the New Delhi-level, Congress and JD(S) leaderships have not agreed on any Lok Sabha alliance in Karnataka or elsewhere. But I am working on some seat adjustments with Congress in some constituencies in the state. As far as JD(S) is concerned, we are committed to keep BJP out of power at the Centre and, therefore, are open to the idea of a non-BJP third front or anti-BJP Congress-led front after the polls,” Mr Kumaraswamy told ET at Kolar where he was campaigning.

There are hints that AICC was in the know of this understanding being worked out by the state-level leaders of Congress and JD(S). But Congress in-charge of the state, Ghulam Nabi Azad, was not available for comments.
However, Oscar Fernandes, a key AICC functionary and a senior leader from Karnataka, told ET: “As a matter of fact, there is no formal alliance between Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka. However, since both the parties are opposed to BJP and its communal politics, it indeed is possible that local, seat-level understanding between the two sides may be working out with the common purpose of defeating BJP.”

In the 2004 polls, BJP had won 18 of the total 28 seats, leaving the Congress and JD(S) with eight and two seats, respectively. The saffron party is perceived to have further cemented its position after wresting the state in the last assembly polls, adding to the emergency of Congress and JD(S) to explore a mutually benefiting informal pact.
Sources say such Congress-JD(S) understanding could be working already in half of the Lok Sabha seats in the state.

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