BENGALURU
Union Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy on Friday said his party is open to exploring an alliance with the BJP for the upcoming Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and other local body elections, while maintaining that no final decision has been taken yet.
Clarifying former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda’s recent statement that there is no alliance in local body elections, Kumaraswamy said the party has kept its options open. “We are open to the issue of an alliance in GBA and local body elections. Our view is that there should be no confusion about alliances. What kind of political developments will take place in the coming days and what decision BJP leaders take at the local level will also matter. We will take a decision after assessing all these factors,” he said.
Kumaraswamy reiterated that the primary objective of the JD(S) is to dislodge what he described as the Congress’ misrule in Karnataka. “Our party’s aim is to free the state from Congress misgovernance. We are ready for that and have approached the issue of alliances with an open mind,” he said.
Taking aim at the Congress-led state government, the Union Minister alleged that development in Bengaluru had been stalled for years. “In the name of development, there has only been looting. Basic issues such as garbage disposal, infrastructure, and civic governance have been ignored. We must go to the people highlighting these failures and explain what each party has contributed,” he said.
Reacting to the BJP-led alliance’s victory in the Mumbai municipal corporation elections, Kumaraswamy said exit polls had predicted a different outcome. “The media had projected that the Aam Aadmi Party would come to power in Mumbai. Contrary to those predictions, the BJP and its allies have emerged victorious. I have congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on this achievement,” he said.
On whether the Maharashtra results would influence elections in Karnataka, Kumaraswamy said electoral dynamics vary from state to state. “Every state is different. Maharashtra is different from Tamil Nadu or West Bengal. Let us see how political developments unfold in the coming days,” he added.