JDS ready with ‘Plan A and B’ amid alliance uncertainty

Bengaluru: Amid growing confusion within the BJP–JDS alliance ahead of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) elections, the Janata Dal (Secular) has begun preparing independently, keeping both “Plan A” and “Plan B” ready.

Sources in the party said Union Minister and former Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy has instructed leaders to be prepared to field candidates in 85 to 100 wards if seat-sharing talks with the BJP fail to reach a consensus. The GBA elections will cover 369 wards across five municipal corporations in Bengaluru. Kumaraswamy has reportedly held two preparatory meetings with party leaders and functionaries from Bengaluru to chalk out strategy. According to insiders, the JDS plans to demand a minimum of 70 to 80 seats from the BJP as part of the alliance arrangement.

“If the BJP agrees to a respectable seat-sharing formula, we will contest unitedly. If not, we are prepared to go it alone,” a senior JDS leader said, indicating that the party does not want to be seen as a junior partner in the urban body polls.

Party sources added that grassroots mobilisation has already begun. Leaders have been asked to identify strong local candidates and strengthen booth-level committees in anticipation of either scenario.

The uncertainty over seat-sharing has exposed underlying tensions within the alliance. While the BJP and JDS had joined hands for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, clarity on extending the partnership to local body polls remains elusive.

Political observers note that urban local body elections often serve as a litmus test for larger political alignments. A separate contest by JDS in Bengaluru could alter equations within the alliance and send signals ahead of future electoral battles.

With preparations intensifying and no final decision yet on seat-sharing, all eyes are now on the next round of talks between the two parties. Whether the alliance partners arrive at a compromise formula or choose to test their strength independently in the capital’s civic arena remains to be seen.