JD(S) forms core committee to stem exodus

Vinay Madhava Gowda

Bengaluru: The Janata Dal Secular (JDS) has a lot to worry about due to the continuous exit of leaders and legislators from the party as the Assembly elections due early next year, approach. So far, most of those who quit the party have joined the Congress.

The party is frantically looking for ways to tide the flow of leaders to other parties. To stem the exodus, the JD(S) has formed a 20-member core committee headed by Bidar MLA Bandeppa Kashempur, which includes legislators Venkatarao Nadagouda, C. S. Puttaraju, Prajwal Revanna, Mohammed Zafrulla Khan, B. M. Farooq and others. Besides, the party is also planning to appoint four working Presidents, including one woman.

Though the JD(S), after splitting in 1999 from JD(U), lost its strength to form a government on its own, its role as a partner for both Congress and BJP in the event of a hung assembly is proven. In the recent past, the BJP has been more interested in JD(S) winning more seats in the Old-Mysore region at the cost of Congress.

A worrying factor for the JD(S) is that most leaders in Old-Mysore grew disillusioned with the party during Kumaraswamy’s second stint as CM between 2018-2019. Their main grouse was that the party did not protect them from the Congress.

Meanwhile, the Gowda family itself is upset with some party leaders, especially those from Tumakuru, after Deve Gowda was defeated in the 2019 Parliament elections. Mos JD(S) leaders in Tumakuru, Kolar and Mysuru are fence-sitters at the moment. While a couple of sitting MLAs are hobnobbing with the Congress, the rest have adopted a wait-and-watch mode.

There are two main reasons why JD(S) leaders are not taking the plunge yet. One reason is that the Congress is the traditional rival of the JD(S) in Old Mysore and it will be very difficult for local Congress leaders to accept those from the JD(S).

The second reason is that the Congress now has a bipolar leadership-party president D.K. Shivakumar and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. If Siddaramaiah is projected as CM candidate, then Congress will be in a disadvantageous position in Vokkaliga dominated areas. However, if Shivakumar is projected as CM candidate, the Congress could face a setback in Kolar and Tumakuru, where AHINDA votes dominate. In this situation, prospective hoppers from the JD(S) are biding their time.