Kharge drops hint of Cong-JD(S) alliance for 2019 LS polls

The Congress and the JD(S) coming together to keep the BJP away in Karnataka could set the stage for the coalition to be scaled up to form a secular front ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

The idea found support in senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, fueling speculation that the Congress and the JD(S) may consider joining hands to take on the BJP during the Lok Sabha polls. “Certainly, what happened in Karnataka has sent a message across the country that people are supporting secular parties,” Kharge told reporters. “Today, secular parties have won the support of the people as well as the legislators.”

Chief Minister-designate H D Kumaraswamy, too, had earlier said that the Congress-JD(S) alliance was a step toward building a non-BJP alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. Kumaraswamy is keen on inviting leaders of the regional parties - Mayawati, Mamata Banerjee, N Chandrababu Naidu, K Chandrashekar Rao, among others - for his swearing-in ceremony to demonstrate how a united opposition was taking shape to take on the BJP.

“The people of Karnataka aspired for a secular, pro-development government. In line with that expectation, the Congress and the JD(S) came together. Also, the Congress got a higher vote share,” Kharge, leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha, pointed out.