Bengaluru: BJP not averse to alliance with JD(S), Congress plays it safe

Bengaluru: Not with standing a bitter parting of ways as coalition partners a decade ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not seem averse to the possibility of a post-poll alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) in the event of a fractured mandate in forthcoming elections to the Legislative Assembly in Karnataka.

Participating in a debate held here on Saturday, BJP national spokesperson, Krishna Saagar Rao, evaded a direct reply to a question on the party's stand in the event of a hung Assembly, saying “We will think of it when we approach the bridge. We are confident of forming a government here.”

When pressed further, however, he said, “In the past, the JD (S) was a bedfellow for both of us, and to keep the other party out, an alliance is not a bad option.”

Mr Sanjya Jha of the Congress was, however, evasive, saying he was confident of the ruling party retaining power in Karnataka.

He quoted results of the survey carried out by Lokniti, saying “I am confident that we will form the government here, and three months is a very long period in politics,” he said without committing himself to the idea of a post-poll alliance.

Though the focus of the discussion was polls in Karnataka, since both spokespersons flew down to Bengaluru, the debate turned more on national issues than the one on polls.

In response to another question, Mr Rao argued that if his party came to power in Karnataka, it would be easy to find solutions to inter-state river water disputes like Cauvery and Mahadayi as the BJP was in power in New Delhi too.