Mysuru: After meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders recently, Karnataka Janata Dal Secular (JDS) leaders reportedly made a bold demand in a calculated move. As part of their electoral negotiations, the JDS is working to win the coveted Mysore-Kodagu seat, which the BJP presently holds.
Beyond Mysore-Kodagu, the JDS wishlist includes important seats in Hassan, held by Revanna’s son Prajwal; Tumakuru, the polling ground where party founder HD Deve Gowda lost in 2019; Mandya, where independent Sumalatha Ambareesh defeated Nikhil, the son of Kumaraswamy; and additional seats in Mysore, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, and Bangalore Rural.
It is still debatable, though, how pragmatic the BJP was to concede more than five seats. Hassan, Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, and possibly Bangalore Rural are among the likely compromises.One prominent area of dispute is the Mysore seat, where the JDS is attempting to establish its claim by pointing to previous wins in two of the eight Lok Sabha constituency seats—Chamundeshwari and Hunsur. This push coincides with changing political dynamics, most notably the BJP’s diminishing power in Assembly segments, which affects Prathap Simha’s standing as the current MP representing the districts of Mysore and Kodagu.
Within the BJP ranks in Mysore District, there is internal strife due to Simha’s rapid rise in the last ten years. Reportedly low turnout in the most recent Lok Sabha elections, along with charges of concentrating on Varuna rather than actively campaigning in his constituency, has soured relations with veteran party leaders such as SA Ramadas and CH Vijayashankar.
Simha’s problems have been made worse by the Karnataka Forest Department filing a case against his brother for allegedly smuggling timber and felling 120 trees in Hassan District. Ramdas’s candidature for the Lok Sabha is gaining momentum, and Simha does not appear to have much support within the party.
Local BJP leaders are against the JDS’s bid for the Mysore seat, but given the significance of their alliance with the JDS, the party’s central leadership might be willing to compromise. Simha may be saved by his close ties to the BJP central leadership, which could influence how decisions are made in this complex political chess match. The negotiations are showing how alliance politics and internal party dynamics must be carefully balanced as Karnataka prepares for possible changes in the election.