Kingmaker-hopeful JD(S) draws a blank in bypolls

Results can have a larger impact as at least a dozen of the party legislators are waiting to move to BJP

Janata Dal (Secular) leaders H.D. Deve Gowda and H.D. Kumaraswamy stayed away from the media on Monday.

In about nine months, the Janata Dal (Secular) has received a blow to its morale for the second time with the party drawing a blank in the bypolls to 15 Assembly constituencies.

The first loss of face was defeat in the Mandya Lok Sabha seat of the then Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy’s son K. Nikhil. A bigger blow now is the defeat in K.R. Pet Assembly bypolls. Both these put a question mark on the strength of the party in the heartland of Vokkaligas, its base in Old Mysore region.

Fight for relevance

The results for the regional outfit, which has been fighting for its political space and attempting to remain relevant in politics, could have a larger impact with at least a dozen of its legislators waiting in the wings to move to the BJP. The party was hoping to play an important role in the post-election scenario, possibly as “kingmaker”, which would also deter legislators from defecting. But that hope is now dashed.

The party’s expectations of doing well in K.R. Pet, Hunsur, Chickballapur, Yeshwantpur, and Mahalakshmi Layout, all of which have a sizeable Vokkaliga base, have failed. On the other hand, a possible Vokkaliga consolidation in the backdrop of Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa’s statements aimed at Veerashaiva-Lingayat consolidation seems to have not worked.

While top leadership of the party H.D. Deve Gowda and Mr. Kumaraswamy stayed away from the media on Monday as results poured in, a senior leader acknowledged that the Vokkaliga consolidation did not happen the way Lingayats appeared to have united. However, a leader in the party said that bypolls normally tend to go in favour of the ruling dispensation and the result cannot be read as a complete setback to the party.

According to the leader, the flip-flop by the two leaders on the party’s position in the political space — that swung from obliquely extending support to the BJP to a possible re-stitching of an alliance with Congress just ahead of the polls — has had an adverse impact. “People have voted for stability as the JD(S) sent confusing signals,” he said.

The worst spaces

Also, the party’s gamble by fielding two Muslim candidates in Shivajinagar and Vijayanagar did not pay off with both losing their deposits.

The party lost deposits in Yellapur and K.R. Puram too. Earlier, the party had been left red-faced after its candidates in Athani and Hirekerur had withdrawn from the fray, allegedly under pressure from BJP leaders.

However, reading from another lens, senior leader and MLC Basavaraj Horatti told reporters that the results that has given BJP stability would ensure that the JD(S) would not break into two. Since the BJP has numbers all on its own now and JD(S) none, there is no debate or difference of opinion on whom the party should support.