After his father H D Deve Gowda, it is the turn of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) leaders to advise Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy not to continue association with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) any longer.

NCP boss and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday reportedly implored Mr Kumaraswamy not to hand over the baton to the BJP even as the deadline to transfer power — October 3 — is fast approaching.
Sharad Pawar, with his party colleague and Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in tow, advised the chief minister that it would be better to face the elections than transfer power to the saffron party.

His opinion was that sharing power with the BJP would prove fatal to the Janata Dal (Secular) as Muslims would stay away from that party. Interestingly, Pawar’s meeting with Kumaraswamy was convened after the NCP president and Gowda informally had a chat in the Central Hall of Parliament on Monday.

It is said that after this meeting, Pawar himself took the initiative to speak to the chief minister. PWD Minister H D Revanna was also present at the meeting.

Pawar reportedly told Kumaraswamy that with the nuclear stand-off between UPA and Left parties, a possibility of mid-term poll in the near future could not be ruled out.

Terminating the Janata Dal (Secular) association with the BJP would only be to the advantage of the former in such a situation, he is said to have advised the chief minister.

Muslim vote
Gowda is also said to be of the opinion that the best way for the JD(S) to ensure that the Muslim vote stays with the party was to part ways with the BJP.

With backward class leader Siddaramaiah leaving the JD(S) to join the Congress, Gowda is aware that his caste, especially the Kurubas, have drifted away from the JD(S).

Hence, he is of the view that at least the Muslims should not be alienated from the JD(S).

Day by day, the options for the JD(S) too are getting shrunk. Sources close to Kumaraswamy say it is difficult to imagine a scenario of not handing over power to the Bharatiya Janata Party as in such a situation, the Janata Dal (Secular) would only be making the saffron party a martyr.

The BJP national leadership is, at  present, in no mood to give up on the chief ministership.
Will this change after September 28 when Gowda is supposed to call on senior leaders A B Vajpayee, L K Advani and Rajnath Singh, remains to be seen. 

BSY in Delhi
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, who was in the capital on Tuesday, did not hold any meeting with Kumaraswamy but called on BJP president Rajnath Singh.

He was understood to have told Singh that he sees no problems in BJP getting power from the Janata Dal (Secular).