The Janata Dal (Secular), which has forged pre-poll alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Nationalist Congress Party, has reportedly convinced its allies to field their candidates at least in 40 constituencies with the intention of snatching votes from Congress party.
JD(S) state president and H D Kumaraswamy has admitted that his party would ask its alliance partners to contest in 40 seats out of the 224.
In an interview, Kumaraswamy, who had formed government with the BJP in the past, said that JD(S) and allies were trying to get a vote share of about 30 per cent. The party is also open to tie-ups with farmers’ groups since one of the major planks with which the JD(S) is going to polls this time is agrarian issues, including farm loan waiver, he added.
While the BSP will be contesting in 20 constituencies, which have been identified, the NCP will contest in five to seven constituencies in the Bombay Karnataka region. The JD(S) is also in talks with the Left parties to join an alliance which is expected to become an alternative to the Congress.
According to Mr. Kumaraswamy, this is for the first time that the JD(S) is entering a pre-poll alliance. “We had always gone to election alone since 1999 when we made our election debut and contested almost all of the 224 seats.
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