News Brief
BJP-JD(S) Finalise Lok Sabha Seat-Sharing Pact With Candidate Swapping? Kumaraswamy's Party Likely To Contest Five Seats In Karnataka
JD(S) Chief H D Kumaraswamy with Union Home Minister Amit Shah
The BJP has reportedly proposed a seat-sharing arrangement to the JD(S), offering them a choice among five Lok Sabha constituencies as they prepare to jointly take on the Congress in the upcoming General elections.
The constituencies offered to JD(S) include Hassan, Mandya, Kolar, Bangalore Rural, and Tumkur.
Kumaraswamy and his son Nikhil airdashed to New Delhi and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to discuss the nuts and bolts of the agreement.
The seat-sharing deal is also likely to involve swapping of candidates.
Under the proposed agreement, the JD(S) would field its candidates in Hassan, Mandya, and Kolar, while in Bangalore Rural, a JD(S) nominee might run under the BJP emblem. In Tumkur, the candidate could be from the BJP but use the JD(S) symbol, suggesting a strategic candidate-swapping mechanism that would essentially grant the JD(S) four slots with its symbol on the ballot.
"It will be a JD(S) candidate in Hassan, Mandya and Kolar. From Bangalore Rural, the JD(S) candidate is likely to contest on the BJP's symbol. In Tumkur, it might be a BJP candidate on the JD(S) symbol," a source was quoted as saying in a Deccan Herald report.
After suffering a defeat in the Assembly Polls, the JD(S) formally joined the BJP-led NDA in September 2023.
The JD(S) currently holds the Hassan seat, considered to be the party's stronghold, while Mandya, the Vokkaliga heartland, has a BJP-supported Independent MP, Sumalatha Ambareesh. Kolar has a BJP MP.
BJP is reportedly considering Dr C N Manjunath, a renowned cardiac surgeon and son-in-law of JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda, to contest from Bangalore Rural, a constituency currently held by D K Suresh, brother of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar.
In Tumkur, speculations are rife that senior BJP figure V Somanna might run on the JD(S) symbol.
The strategy is based on caste calculations and other poll math involving caste-wise and party-wise vote share in the previous elections, winnability and individual identity of the candidate.
Kumaraswamy left for New Delhi on Wednesday all of a sudden with his son.
Initially, the visit was to pay tributes to eminent jurist Fali S Nariman.
On Thursday, the father-son duo met Shah and discussed seat-sharing modalities.
While there is speculation about Kumaraswamy's candidacy in Mandya, he said that he has "not decided yet on contesting the Lok Sabha polls".
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest
