Bengaluru: Amid growing suspicion about whether the coalition partners JD(S) and Congress who were fierce rivals till a year ago, had transferred their votes to each other's candidates in the Lok Sabha polls, Higher Education Minister G.T. Deve Gowda let the cat out of the bag on Wednesday remarking that JD(S) workers in Mysuru and elsewhere might have voted for the BJP candidate Pratap Simha and not Congress candidate Vijayshankar.
Deve Gowda's remarks which come three weeks ahead of the poll results, was enough to expose the differences between members of the two parties which could also mar the prospects of the coalition candidates particularly in constituencies like Mandya, Hassan, Mysuru-Kodagu and Tumakuru.
The JD(S) leader's statement evoked a strong reaction from the Congress, with KPCC president Dinesh Gundurao saying it was not good for the coalition government.
Now that polling is done in the state, the BJP is claiming there has been cross-voting in Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru and Kolar, where Congress workers have voted for its candidates and not theirs.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on Wednesday, senior BJP leader, R. Ashok claimed both JD(S) and Congress workers had voted for his party candidates in the old Mysuru region.
"Even in Hassan, Tumakuru and Kolar constituencies, Congress workers voted for BJP candidates and independent candidate ,Sumalatha Amabreesh in Mandya. The grassroot workers of both the Congress and JD(S) have not supported the alliance. Instead, upset by the tie -up between the two parties, their workers have voted for the BJP in these parts," BJP leader, C.T. Ravi too insisted.
Alleging that the alliance did not work for the JD(S) and the Congress in the Lok Sabha poll, Mr Ashok added, "Due to backstabbing of both party leaders in the Lok Sabha elections, the longevity of the coalition government is now suspect . Invisible hands are ready to pull the rug from under the Kumaraswamy government." He, however, hastily clarified that the BJP was not meddling in the internal problems of the coalition partners in the state.
