Congress-JD(S) alliance to battle against the BJP in 2018?

The lessons of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have not been lost among parties in Karnataka. Sources say the Congress and JD(S) are planning a grand alliance.   

The Congress and JD(S), it is believed, have decided to bury their differences to survive in politics. Both the parties have also believed to have learnt lessons from the UP mandate. 

They are working to cut polarisation and are coming at an understanding with regards to their seat-sharing formula. If sources are to be believed the decision to form an alliance was taken a few months ago itself.

When questioned about the signs for such alliance, a source from the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee pointed out - 

"JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda, who is always critical of the administration has not attacked CM Siddaramaiah recently. Also, Siddaramiah reaching out to the JD(S) during the Cauvery issue was evidence that  the Congress made the first move and got a positive response," 

The source also shared some more details of the alliance. Reportedly, the JD(S)'s demand to for the Rajarajeshwarinagar, and Yeshwanthpur Assembly segments were rejected by the Congress as both MLA Muniratha Naidu from Rajarajeshwarinagar and ST Somashekar from Yeshwanthpur are sitting MLAs and are hopeful to repeat the 2013 mandate in 2018. 

"In both these constituencies, Vokkaliga community members are in larger numbers. Since Vokkaligas are bent towards to the JD(S), this may help the party to raise its numbers. However, in the last election, the Congress gave a ticket to Somashekar - a Vokkaliga. But Munirathna Naidu - a Kapu - won by a huge margin. Hence the Congress is not willing to settle for this idea. In few weeks time, all the differences will be sorted out," said the source. 

Congress Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao was not willing to accept this news and stated that it was only guesswork. 

"About any alliance, only the high command has the authority to decide," he said. 

A JD(S) source also confirmed about a possible collaboration and said, "This is the time for secular and like-minded parties to unite to take on BJP. Once they come to power, they would make laws that will cause the public suffer."

"See what happened in UP. They polarised and came to power. Now even eating kababs is a crime. If such a party comes to power in Karnataka, boys and girls cannot talk to each other, people cannot love, and there will be no freedom of speech. In the name of development, people will be made to suffer," said source from the JD(S) office.