As against a strong perception in the political circle over a possible large-scale cross-voting from Janata Dal (Secular) legislators that could have destabilised the party ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections, the Rajya Sabha elections seem to have provided some relief as the party managed to retain its flock, barring two who defied the party whip.
The fact that Congress leaders’, including Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah, alleged attempt to split the JD(S) using the elections did not meet the expectation itself sends out a signal that the party and the leadership remained stable, which is very important in the election year, party sources claimed. Party’s legislator from Kolar Srinivas Gowda voted for the Congress, while Gubbi legislator S.R. Srinivas voted for the BJP.
Signal to Muslims?
The JD(S), which has been in talks with some Muslim legislators and also appealing to the larger Muslim population to win them back electorally, also calculates that the minority community will now see the defeat of Mansoor Ali Khan as a “betrayal” by the Congress since it fielded him despite not having numbers. The fact that the strategy of the Congress local leaders — to fight the election despite several rounds of backroom talks — has helped the BJP win its third seat will be another issue the JD(S) will take up. An easy seat for a combined Opposition professing secular ideology had been handed to the BJP on a platter, sources said. They believe that Mr. Siddaramaiah “may have succeeded now, but will pay for it in the long run”.
They stayed back
Though senior party legislators G.T. Deve Gowda, K.M. Shivalinge Gowda, and A.T. Ramaswamy have distanced themselves from the party leadership and are speculated to leave at the end of this Assembly’s term, they voted in favour of the JD(S), and this points at the changing ground realities in politics, sources said. Despite losing one vote, loyalty to the party had been shown by all and that augurs well ahead of the Assembly elections, sources said.
The former Chief Minister and JD (S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy, who is learnt to have taken the defeat seriously, said there would be “a new chapter from now on” in the political map of Karnataka, indicating his intentions to fight back the Congress vigorously.
Responding to the allegations of the JD(S), KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar said the regional party was “ungrateful”, considering how in the past the Congress had helped it. The party had offered to support if an Independent candidate was fielded, which the JD(S) had refused, he said. “The Congress alone is capable of stopping the BJP in Karnataka,” he said.
