'Let's contest independently': HD Deve Gowda on alliance with Congress

Bengaluru: Days after indicating that his party was still open for continuing its alliance with the Congress, JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda on Monday spoke about going it alone, as he predicted mid-term polls in Karnataka.

"There are chances of mid-term polls in the state. If they come, let's contest independently without going for an alliance with anyone," Gowda was quoted as saying in a statement by his office.

"Will not still commit that mistake. Lets face all the elections independently," he said.

After engaging in a blame game over the collapse of their coalition government, Gowda on Thursday indicated his party was still open for continuing its alliance with the Congress.

He had hinted that he was open for an alliance with the Congress in 17 assembly constituencies, where bypolls have been necessitated following the disqualification of rebel MLAs, but said it all depended on the decision of the national party's interim president Sonia Gandhi.

Gowda and Congress strongman in the state Siddaramaiah had recently blamed each other for the collapse of the H D Kumaraswamy led coalition government in July after it was rocked by dissidence.

Both Congress and JD(S) leaders have also been non-committal over the continuation of the alliance after the fall of the coalition government.

Congress leaders,including state party chief Dinesh Gundu Rao and Siddaramaiah, the Congress legislature party leader, have maintained that continuation of the alliance will be decided by the high command.

However, several top party leaders, speaking on condition of anonymity, had recently said that the entire rank and file of the party were happy to end the partnership with JD(S).

Amid speculations that several JD(S) legislators may quit the party, the former Prime Minister said he was not worried about it and knows how to organise the party.

Gowda has also asked party workers to take the message of the 'good work' done by H D Kumaraswamy as Chief Minster in the previous coalition government, to every household.

"Those who have grown from the party have spoken against it. I have organized the party, believing in party workers. Let anyone quit.. will not feel disheartened," he added.

Recently former Minister G T Devegowda and S R Srinivas had openly commented against the party leadership, especially Kumaraswamy.

Predicting the assembly elections in January or February, Gowda said he and Kumaraswamy would undertake a state-wide tour to strengthen the party.

"The good work done by Kumaraswamy during the coalition government will help us," he said, as he called on the party workers to strengthen the organization, setting aside minor differences.

Also repeatedly predicting mid-term polls, Siddaramaiah has said that the BJP government cannot survive for long as it has come to power with the help of 17 Congress-JD(S) disqualified MLAs.

The absence and resignation of 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs during the trust vote had led to the collapse of the H D Kumaraswamy headed coalition government in July and helped the BJP come to power.

The then assembly Speaker Ramesh Kumar had disqualified 17 Congress-JD(S) MLAs under the anti-defection law, which they have challenged in the Supreme Court.