Karnataka Assembly Elections: JD(S) Will Form Government On Its Own, Says HD Deve Gowda

Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda exuded confidence on Wednesday that Janata Dal (Secular) would come to power in Karnataka on its own, saying it would be incorrect to think of the party as restricted to one specific region or community in the state.

In the triangular fight, the JDS is often seen as a kingmaker, and its role becomes important during a hung mandate, like in the 2018 and 2004 assembly elections, when the party entered into alliances with the Congress to form the initial government after the polls.

"The situation of a post-poll alliance will not arise in Karnataka this time as the JDS will form the government," Deve Gowda told BQ Prime in an interview. "We are not bothered by what these national parties are saying."

The JDS president, who was in Delhi for the last few days, denied being in talks with any party for a post-poll alliance. Deve Gowda revealed that he was in Delhi to distribute copies of journalist and author Sugata Srinivasaraju's book, Furrows in a Field—The Unexplored Life of HD Deve Gowda, to ministers and MPs. He had also sent a copy of it to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He claimed that his son, former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, is the "tallest CM among all the former chief ministers of the state."

The Rajya Sabha MP said people trust Kumaraswamy because "he delivered whatever he promised" when he was the chief minister for 14 months with the support of the Congress and for 18 months with the support of the BJP.

"Even today, Kumaraswamy is very popular, and people in the state trust him," Deve Gowda said. "And he has been working continuously for the last nine months to get 123 seats on his own."

"It's not me, but independent agencies and observers who also recognise his work and popularity," the JDS leader said.

Deve Gowda said if the JDS comes to power in the state, it would review the recent move of the Bommai government to increase the reservation for the Lingayat and Vokkaliga communities by scrapping a 4% separate quota for Muslims in the Other Backward Class section. The BJP had claimed that the reservation for Muslims was "constitutionally invalid".

"As the CM of Karnataka, I had given 4% reservation to Muslims in 1994 and equally 4% reservation to the Vokkaligas. Social justice was one of the major considerations," he said.

Deve Gowda highlighted that the Supreme Court had once passed a judgement that the poverty and condition of any caste should be taken into consideration while giving reservation.

He has quoted the judgement while giving reservations to Muslims. The decision was upheld by the Karnataka court as well. But now, the BJP government has "played its cards", according to Deve Gowda.

The former PM's visit to Delhi also comes at a time when the JDS is facing an internal challenge within his ruling family, particularly in its stronghold of Hassan, with Deve Gowda's sons reportedly having differences over whether to make a family member a candidate or a party worker.

Deve Gowda rebutted the BJP's allegations that the JDS was being centred around the interests of one family, saying it was important to see how the party was taking on national parties in the state.

It would be misleading and incorrect to think of the JDS as being a strong force only in the old Mysuru region of the state, he said.

Last year, the party got 23 seats in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region. Earlier, it had won 37 seats in the Mumbai-Karnataka region, Deve Gowda said. "So, to demarcate our voters as just a few communities would be falling for the fake narrative of other parties."

Deve Gowda said that he had no personal grievances with Modi. The "understanding" between leaders like former CM BS Yediyurappa and Congress leader Siddaramaiah was for everyone to see, especially with the former not fielding his son from the latter's constituency.

Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10, and the results will be declared on May 13.