When a disgruntled BJP claimed that the ‘unholy’ alliance between Congress and JD(S) won’t last long, they had perhaps already seen the future of this coalition. Much on the same grounds as the situation of Bihar in 2017, cracks have begun to emerge in the alliance, with both the parties deciding to contest the remaining two seats separately.
Yes, the alliance, which was created in the nick of time, just to keep the BJP out of power in Karnataka, seems to be breaking up even before the fruits of the coalition have blossomed. While this might seem hilarious to some, the truth is quite different.
HD Deve Gowda, who mysteriously stayed silent when HD Kumaraswamy took over the reins and formed the coalition government with Congress, has now come out in the open, castigating the Congress candidate Muniratna Naidu for his involvement in the fake voter ID case, while campaigning for JD(S) in Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency.
In the case mentioned, more than 10,000 fake voter ID cards were seized from hotel rooms in Rajarajeshwari Nagar and one other constituency, causing a furor in the region, following which the Election Commission of India ordered a reelection much after the original elections.
To quote Deve Gowda’s from his campaign in favor of the JD (S) candidate GH Ramachandra, “As party President, it’s my responsibility to campaign for my candidate. I don’t want to meddle with the coalition government, it’ll continue without any obstruction.”
The subtle references are enough to determine the type of alliance that exists in Karnataka right now. In an interview to Republic TV, H D Deve Gowda has himself admitted that the current alliance is more of an ‘administrative alliance’ than an actual coalition. This proves that JD(S) has sunk lower in the quest for power than what Nitish Kumar did in 2015, when he joined hands with Lalu Prasad Yadav in order to maintain power in Bihar.
This is no surprise for anyone, who is even remotely acquainted with the way such crafty coalition governments work. Even before Kumaraswamy had taken oath, the Congress, who declared their ‘unconditional support’ to JD(S), started jostling for the larger share of the pie, and uncomfortably settled for a chunk of Cabinet Ministries from their own flank.
Even though G Parameshwara has been elected as the new Deputy Chief Minister, he couldn’t hide his own ambitions, remarking that it would be unlikely that Congress supports JD(S) for the entire 5 years. This speaks volumes about the priorities of the two power hungry parties, whose sole motive is to stay in power, even if it puts the future of Karnataka in jeopardy.
To be frank , the alliance between Congress and JD(D) is a blessing in disguise for BJP and their 2019 ambitions, since the tussle for the lion’s share of powerand the gross negligence, already visible by the attitude of the government when Mamata Bannerjee was forced to walk a few steps to the Vidhan Soudha during the oath ceremony of Kumaraswamy, will only add to the benefit of BJP. As such, it won’t be a surprise if BS Yeddyurappa actually fulfills his promise of winning all the 28 Lok Sabha seats for BJP in Karnataka during the 2019 elections.