BJP, HD Deve Gowda's JDS to join hands for 2024 General Election: says BJP's BS Yediyurappa
New Delhi, September 09: In a significant political development, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) have tentatively agreed to form an alliance in Karnataka for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Insider sources have revealed that JD(S) supremo, former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, recently engaged in discussions with BJP leaders JP Nadda and Amit Shah to initiate talks about the potential partnership.
The seasoned politician, HD Deve Gowda, who held the position of Prime Minister of India from June 1996 to April 1997, has proposed that his party, JD(S), be allocated five Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka as part of this alliance. However, the ultimate decision regarding seat allocation rests with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as per the sources.
Although further negotiations are anticipated in the near future, it is confirmed that JD(S) leaders, including the 91-year-old Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy, have already achieved a consensus on the preliminary seat-sharing proposal. The five Lok Sabha seats requested by JD(S) are Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru, Chickballapur, and Bengaluru Rural.
This development comes after HD Deve Gowda, back in July, had categorically stated that his party would contest the Lok Sabha elections independently, ruling out any potential collaboration with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He had expressed determination, saying, "Whether we win five, six, three, two, or one seats, we will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently."
Karnataka, with its 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, remains a key battleground for political parties in national elections. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP emerged victorious in 25 constituencies, with an additional seat secured by a candidate supported by the party. Meanwhile, the Congress and JD(S) managed to win one seat each. Notably, in the JD(S) stronghold of Hassan, Prajwal Revanna, Deve Gowda's grandson, emerged victorious.
As discussions between the BJP and JD(S) intensify and the alliance's contours take shape, all eyes are now on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision regarding the allocation of seats in Karnataka for the pivotal 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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- With inputs from agencies
