In hot seat Bangalore Rural, Congress to poach JD(S) leaders

Bengaluru: With his brother D K Suresh’s electoral prospects at stake in Bangalore Rural, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday asked Congress workers to poach local JD(S) leaders who are unhappy with the regional party’s alliance with BJP.

Shivakumar and D K Suresh, the Congress' Bangalore Rural MP seeking re-election, hosted party leaders from the constituency for breakfast to discuss strategy.

The BJP has fielded cardiologist Dr C N Manjunath, JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda's son-in-law, against Suresh. The BJP-JD(S) alliance against Congress has turned the Vokkaliga-dominated Bangalore Rural into a hot contest.

"All these years, there's been rivalry between Congress and JD(S). It's a direct contest in 5-6 constituencies. Now, without JD(S) in the fray, the regional party's workers are worried. A member of the Gowda family has joined BJP. So, sulking workers are talking to us. They're contacting me and our local leaders," Shivakumar said.

Shivakumar, the Karnataka Congress president, said he has instructed his party's local leaders to induct disgruntled JD(S) workers. "Those who fought against us...they need to think about their future. They want to join Congress. So, we've decided to forget the past and take them," he said.

Number game

In 2019, Suresh was the only Congress MP to brave the Modi wave. In that election, the Congress and JD(S) were in an alliance. Suresh polled 8.71 lakh votes. He won by a margin of 2.06 lakh votes against BJP. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, when Suresh went up against JD(S) and BJP, he got 6.52 lakh votes. His victory margin was 2.31 lakh votes. In fact, Suresh's margin decreased from 2014 to 2019 despite an alliance with JD(S).

This time, BJP and JD(S) have joined forces.

Of the eight Assembly segments under Bangalore Rural, the Congress holds five, BJP two and JD(S) one. But according to Assembly election data, BJP and JD(S) together got 1.59 lakh votes more than Congress.

"Fearing defeat, Congress is going door-to-door in Channapatna and forcing our workers to join them. They're doing circus. But the overall situation is in our favour. Voters are with Dr Manjunath," BJP leader C P Yogeshwar said.

On Congress poaching leaders, Yogeshwar said whoever leaves would come back in time for the election. Asked if BJP will poach from Congress, he said "We don't need that. The BJP-JD(S) team is enough."