<p>Bengaluru: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/congress">Congress</a> on Thursday poached a dozen leaders from the JD(S) in Hassan, the bastion of the regional party's patriarch HD Deve Gowda, which Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar wants to sweep in the 2028 Assembly polls. </p><p>Twelve leaders from JD(S) and four of the BJP switched sides and joined Congress at an event where Shivakumar launched a broadside at the regional party. </p><p>"We've seen both sides of the Deve Gowda family's coin. In 2028, we can win all seven assembly seats in Hassan," Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress president, said. </p><p>The Hassan district comprises of seven assembly segments. In the 2023 election, Congress won only one -- Arsikere. The JD(S) holds four seats -- Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Holenarsipura and Arkalgudu. The BJP has two -- Belur and Sakleshpur. </p><p>"In the previous election, our own people cheated us in a couple of constituencies. I know about that. Let's get ready for the next election," Shivakumar said. </p>.Assam Congress leader Ripun Bora questioned by Police in Gaurav Gogoi's Pakistan link case.<p>Shivakumar claimed that the JD(S)-BJP alliance will not work. "Let them hug each other as much as they want. It will never trickle down to their party workers," he said.</p><p>"Is it even possible for BJP and JD(S) to become one in Hassan?" Shivakumar said. He recalled his warning to MLAs who defected to the BJP in 2019. "I had said that they'd dig their political graves by joining BJP. Now, K Sudhakar says the BJP is digging his grave. What happened to ST Somashekhar, Shivaram Hebbar, CP Yogeshwara, MTB Nagara, BC Patil, Shrimant Patil and Mahesh Kumtahalli? The Raja Rajeshwarinagar MLA (Munirathna) did all sorts of bad things and now pleads to be saved," he said. </p><p>Shivakumar invited JD(S) leaders to switch sides. "I'm telling you...you have no future in the JD(S). It's not a party; it's just one family. To defeat my brother (DK Suresh), the son-in-law of the JD(S) national president (Deve Gowda) was made the BJP's candidate. Don't I know tactics? To defeat the national president's grandson, I brought in Yogeshwara," he said. </p><p>Congress hopes that Thursday's induction of JD(S) and BJP leaders would help the party in the impending zilla and taluk panchayat polls. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/congress">Congress</a> on Thursday poached a dozen leaders from the JD(S) in Hassan, the bastion of the regional party's patriarch HD Deve Gowda, which Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar wants to sweep in the 2028 Assembly polls. </p><p>Twelve leaders from JD(S) and four of the BJP switched sides and joined Congress at an event where Shivakumar launched a broadside at the regional party. </p><p>"We've seen both sides of the Deve Gowda family's coin. In 2028, we can win all seven assembly seats in Hassan," Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress president, said. </p><p>The Hassan district comprises of seven assembly segments. In the 2023 election, Congress won only one -- Arsikere. The JD(S) holds four seats -- Shravanabelagola, Hassan, Holenarsipura and Arkalgudu. The BJP has two -- Belur and Sakleshpur. </p><p>"In the previous election, our own people cheated us in a couple of constituencies. I know about that. Let's get ready for the next election," Shivakumar said. </p>.Assam Congress leader Ripun Bora questioned by Police in Gaurav Gogoi's Pakistan link case.<p>Shivakumar claimed that the JD(S)-BJP alliance will not work. "Let them hug each other as much as they want. It will never trickle down to their party workers," he said.</p><p>"Is it even possible for BJP and JD(S) to become one in Hassan?" Shivakumar said. He recalled his warning to MLAs who defected to the BJP in 2019. "I had said that they'd dig their political graves by joining BJP. Now, K Sudhakar says the BJP is digging his grave. What happened to ST Somashekhar, Shivaram Hebbar, CP Yogeshwara, MTB Nagara, BC Patil, Shrimant Patil and Mahesh Kumtahalli? The Raja Rajeshwarinagar MLA (Munirathna) did all sorts of bad things and now pleads to be saved," he said. </p><p>Shivakumar invited JD(S) leaders to switch sides. "I'm telling you...you have no future in the JD(S). It's not a party; it's just one family. To defeat my brother (DK Suresh), the son-in-law of the JD(S) national president (Deve Gowda) was made the BJP's candidate. Don't I know tactics? To defeat the national president's grandson, I brought in Yogeshwara," he said. </p><p>Congress hopes that Thursday's induction of JD(S) and BJP leaders would help the party in the impending zilla and taluk panchayat polls. </p>
