No final decision yet on party going alone in local body polls, says Nikhil Kumaraswamy

Amid the confusion over the NDA alliance working in local bodies elections, Janata Dal (Secular) Youth Wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy on Friday said that a final decision on the party going alone has not been made yet.

“This is an election for party workers. Both the JD(S) and the BJP are parties formed by workers. We are speaking to each other at every stage. The alliance has taken place at the top, and the next decision will also come from there. (Party supremo and former Prime Minister) H.D. Deve Gowda will take appropriate decision in our party,” Mr. Nikhil said during a “Meet the Press” organised by by the Press Club of Bengaluru, here on Friday.

Recently, Mr. Gowda had said that the party will go to election alone in the local body polls. He claimed that the alliance will win 150 seats in the next Assembly elections.

Taking exception to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s statement on merger of JD(S) with BJP due to declining support base, Mr. Nikhil questioned the Congress’s performance in Bihar, Delhi and Maharashtra.

“How many seats has Congress won in these States? With whom will the Congress merge in these States?” he asked. He pointed out that JD(S) has a vote share of 37% in constituencies in Old Mysore region. “There are many constituencies where JD(S) lost by a margin of around 5,000 votes. We will have to strengthen the party here and there are many challenges. I am starting my second leg of State tour on February 1,” he said.

On the recent Ballari violence in which one Congress worker died due to bullet injuries, Mr. Nikhil said that the Ballari (Congress) legislator (Nara Bharath Reddy) should have been arrested. He also defended his father and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy coming in defence of BJP MLA Janardhan Reddy in this case.