Sarvodaya may merge with AAP

Sarvodaya Karnataka was floated by bringing together organisations of Dalits and farmers

Sarvodaya Karnataka, a political party floated by bringing together organisations of Dalits and farmers, has decided to either merge with or extend support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Lok Sabha elections.

A final decision on this will be arrived at by the end of the first week of February, writer and State convener of Savodaya Karnataka, Devanooru Mahadeva, told The Hindu .

In the meeting of the party held on January 22, the principal constituents of the party — factions of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) and the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS) — have been asked to discuss the issue with their State committees and pass resolutions.

K.S. Puttannaiah, leader of a KRRS faction and the lone MLA from Sarvodaya, said they were more inclined to a merger. Though AAP was seen as an urban phenomenon, the manifesto of the party showed that the party was concerned about rural people, farmers and Dalits, he said.

‘Positives of AAP’

Guruprasad Keragodu, State convener of a faction of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti (DSS), part of Sarvodaya, said the presence of social scientists like Yogendra Yadav in the party will ensure inclusivity and social justice.

Asked if the recent controversies in Delhi surrounding the party had not made them sceptical, Mr. Mahadeva said that some confusion was natural in a party with an “evolving ideology”.

He said: “The positive thing is that AAP has for the first time enthused youth in politics and forced mainstream parties do some introspection.” Though Sarvodaya Karnataka has only one MLA from Melkote constituency, it has pockets of influence in the Old Mysore region.