Apart from giving the final touches to the BJP’s poll strategy, Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Karnataka on Tuesday is learnt to have indicated that the party’s alliance with the JD(S) is for the long haul.
According to sources, Mr. Shah, who began his visit to the State by presiding over a meeting of the coordination committee of alliance partners, emphasised its importance in effectively reaching out to people.
Making it clear that the alliance was not for short-term poll gains, he reportedly told leaders of both parties to resolve whatever differences there are between them and strengthen the alliance at all levels.
Joint tours
Acting on it, alliance leaders are set to take up a joint tour of all the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies that are going to the polls in the first phase in the State on April 26. Sources in the BJP said party veteran B.S. Yediyurappa, BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy would be part of these visits.
Referring to the roadshow taken out by Mr. Shah at Channapatna along with Mr. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Vijayendra, sources in the BJP said it was an instance of driving home a point that leaders of both the parties are united.
Enemies of the past
The relations between the two parties had soured following the non-transfer of power to the BJP by its then ally JD(S) as per the prior agreement, after completing the 20-month rule in 2007, and they have not had any official tie-up for over 16 years.
This had wider ramifications on the State political landscape as two major communities — Lingayats and Vokkaligas — were distributed among the two parties. This had an impact on political geography too as the BJP was struggling to make inroads in South Karnataka districts that have a dominant presence of Vokkaligas while the JD(S) was not a force to reckon with in most parts of North Karnataka where the Lingayat population is dominant.
In fact, the failure to find a strong political footing in southern areas of the State was seen as the reason for the BJP not being able to secure a simple majority in the Legislative Assembly. The BJP high command is now keen to ensure unity at all levels between the two parties to widen the political reach of the combine. To ensure this, Mr. Shah is believed to have told leaders to shun any “personal agenda”. Mr. Shah is learnt to have got details about the combine’s political position in each of the 14 Lok Sabha seats that are scheduled to go for the polls in the first phase.
