JDS back to 'resort' politics, Cong-JDS try to snatch BBMP from BJP

Bengaluru: JDS founder HD Deve Gowda and his son HD Kumaraswamy are once again doing what they are good at. The Gowdas started the infamous ‘resort’ politics in Karnataka to get the power at any cost.

They are back to the same ‘resort’ politics once again to capture power at the just concluded Bengaluru City Corporation (BBMP) polls. The JDS has won just 14 seats in the 198 members BBMP. The BJP has won 100 seats, the Congress 76 seats and Independents 8.

The MLAs, MLCs and MPs from Bengaluru city are also the members of the BBMP and have the voting rights. There are 52 such members. It takes the total members of the BBMP to 250 and the majority mark is 126 seats. The BJP has 123 such members. It still needs three more members to capture power at the BBMP and hoping to manage the Independents.

However, the ruling Congress was quick to react. It managed the Independents and sent them to a resort in Kochi. The BJP rushed to the JDS seeking support. The wily old fox Gowda wants to drive a hard bargain and he sent his 14 members to a top class resort in Kochi. Some of his close aides met chief minister Siddaramaiah and assured him of the JDS support in the BBMP.

The JDS is now holding a meeting on September 5 to decide its future course of action. According to insiders many JDS members want to go with the ruling Congress and it has complicated the matters for the Gowdas.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy has ordered his members to move out of their Kochi resort and shift to some other place in Kerala.

The BJP which surprisingly retained power at the BBMP is worried over these sudden developments. It is alleging that the Congress and JDS are coming together to deny BJP its rightful place in the BBMP. The local BJP leaders have described the developments as highly unethical. The BJP is still hoping that it can come to power at the BBMP as it needs just three more seats.

The JDS started its infamous ‘resort’ politics in 2006 to unseat the Congress government in Karnataka. It went with the BJP and that experiment collapsed in just 20 months. After that the JDS resorted to ‘resort’ politics several times either to capture power or to unseat somebody from power.

Political observers in Karnataka feel that the JDS is the most unethical political party. Who will rule the BBMP? Answer will be out in a week.