Erstwhile Janata Parivar leaders eyeing JD(S): HDK

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Saturday claimed that many leaders who were part of the erstwhile Janata Parivar were knocking on the doors of his party with a hope of re-entering politics.

Kumaraswamy said that leaders who were associated with the Janata Parivar in the past and who are now either in the BJP or the Congress had been reaching out to him. The party would welcome anybody who intended to join it, he added.

Recently, senior political leader P G R Sindhia re-joined the JD(S). It is now strongly rumoured that Congress leader and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's confidante, C M Ibrahim, is trying to come back to the JD(S). Party sources also said that several north Karnataka leaders like BJP leader Umesh Katti too were exploring the possibility of coming back to the JD(S).

Neither denying nor refuting the speculations, Kumaraswamy said that it was a fact that Ibrahim had met him. "But I don't want to comment anything on his return to the party," he added.

Kumaraswamy, who chaired the party's core committee meeting, said that the state executive committee meeting will be held in Hubballi on November 14. "The party hopes to finalise names of candidates to contest the Assembly election before the meeting. The core committee will take a final call on candidatures. As the party has earned the reputation as 'appa makkala paksha' (father-son party), the party leadership has decided that the committee will finalise the candidate list," he said.