Bengaluru, June 20 (IANS) Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel and Karnataka JD(S) President H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday firmly dismissed speculation of a rift between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) following the recent Karnataka Legislative Council elections, asserting that no one could create a division in the alliance.

Addressing the media, Kumaraswamy said the decision to field a JD(S) candidate in the Council election was taken after consultations with party legislators. He noted that all MLAs had insisted that the party contest, and accordingly, a candidate was fielded.

“Congress wants a crack in the BJP-JD(S) friendship because it understands the political consequences if the alliance remains intact. However, this election will not have any bearing on the next Assembly elections,” he asserted.

Rejecting claims that cross-voting by JD(S) and BJP legislators would weaken the alliance, he said the BJP had already formed a three-member committee led by C.T. Ravi to examine the developments. Kumaraswamy added that he would discuss the matter with the BJP national leadership in New Delhi and provide details of the circumstances surrounding the election.

He said he had held two meetings on the issue, with 17 JD(S) MLAs participating in the latest meeting, barring G.T. Devegowda.

“All of them gave their explanations. There is an analysis in some quarters that the BJP-JD(S) alliance may crack because of this election. I want to state clearly that no one can create a rift in the alliance under any circumstances,” he said.

Kumaraswamy alleged that inducements were offered during the election process, claiming legislators were promised development grants ranging from Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore if they voted for a particular party’s candidate.

He said attempts were made to influence legislators by promising funds, but maintained he had never indulged in such politics. “We were never overly optimistic about victory. One of our 18 votes was already missing. We expected support from our remaining 17 MLAs and some surplus BJP votes. After both major parties secured around 30 votes each, we were left expecting only four votes and hoped for second-preference votes,” he explained.

The JD(S) leader said some legislators may have been swayed by promises of development funds for their constituencies, but maintained that the developments would have no impact on the BJP-JD(S) alliance.

He said the decision to field a candidate had been taken after discussions with BJP leaders, including Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra and Leader of Opposition R. Ashoka, and with the consent of the alliance leadership.

Kumaraswamy also pointed to dissatisfaction among legislators and party workers across political parties over the pace of development works in their constituencies, saying such factors may have influenced the election outcome.

Drawing a comparison with previous elections, he recalled that cross-voting had occurred during the 2017 Rajya Sabha elections as well, and argued that such incidents were not uncommon in indirect elections.

The Union Minister said the issue should not be prolonged further, noting that the 17 JD(S) MLAs had left the final decision to him. “My focus is on 2028. Karnataka needs a genuinely people-oriented government, and it is my responsibility to work towards that goal. I have already set my sights on achieving it,” he said.

–IANS

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