Bengaluru: With the BJP state unit caught in internal disarray and uncertainty over its leadership in Karnataka, its alliance partner Janata Dal (Secular) is wasting no time in seizing the moment. JD(S), led by its youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy, is expanding aggressively into both Kittur and Kalyana Karnataka regions—territories where it once held marginal sway and sees strong revival potential.After launching its state-wide outreach campaign on June 14 in Tumakuru, JD(S) held rallies in Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Chitradurga. Thursday, the party marked a key milestone with a massive rally in Badami, a constituency from where chief minister Siddaramaiah won by a narrow margin in 2018 assembly polls.JD(S) functionaries said the Badami rally signals the start of a renewed focus on northern districts such as Bagalkot, Vijayapura, Ballari, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Koppal, and Raichur. With BJP distracted by internal issues, JD(S) appears determined to rebuild its base and emerge as a crucial player ahead of the next assembly elections.“People are fed up with the misrule and corruption of the Congress govt and they would definitely look for an alternative in the next assembly polls, and NDA is the natural choice. Being the alliance partners, we have started rebuilding our support base in the districts in both south and north Karnataka, where we have the potential to win a substantial number of assembly seats,” said state JD(S) chief and union minister HD Kumaraswamy.Nikhil has reportedly identified 80 winnable assembly seats across the state. The party has already begun shortlisting candidates with the aim of bargaining hard for around 100 seats when NDA seat-sharing talks begin.“It is certain that the JD(S)-BJP alliance will continue, as our leaders HD Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy have made it clear about our goals. While it is important to defeat Congress, we will see to it that NDA is intact and the JD(S) and BJP strive hard to install a pro-people govt by winning the next election,” said Nikhil.Meanwhile, BJP—wary of being overshadowed by its junior partner—is planning a Sanghatana Parva campaign to revitalise its organisation. Block-level office-bearers will meet Saturday in Kalaburagi, followed by a similar session in Ballari division.“JD(S) is free to plan programmes to revive its organisational strength. We are just focusing on our strategies… It is too early to talk about the prospects of the alliance with JD(S),” said BJP general secretary P Rajiv.
