The collapse of the understanding between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) in the mayoral polls of Mysuru on Wednesday, leading to the installation of Bharatiya Janata Party’s Sunanda Palanetra in the coveted post, has come after months of uneasy political relationship between the two “secular” partners, whose leaders have often exchanged barbs.
With stakes high for both the Congress and the JD(S) in many parts of Old Mysore region, where the saffron party is yet to firmly establish itself, the “natural allies” turn out to be “bitter rivals” during elections, be it to the Lok Sabha, the Assembly, or local bodies, to retain their respective political identities.
Bitter-sweet partnership
Even if the Congress and the JD(S) join hands at the State level for political exigencies, the partnership has remained bitter-sweet in Old Mysore region, which is not only the main support base for the JD(S), but also the political stronghold of the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
On many occasions earlier, the JD(S) has preferred to tie-up with the BJP in local bodies that have thrown up fractured mandate. The JD(S) had shared power with the BJP in both zilla panchayat and Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), among other local bodies, earlier.
The collapse of the Congress–JD(S) understanding in the mayoral polls on Wednesday, which led to the BJP capturing the post of Mayor for the first time in the corporation’s history, already has Congress leaders accusing the JD(S) of entering into a “secret pact” with the saffron party.
With the next Assembly elections less than two years away, political observers are unwilling to rule out the mayoral election being an indicator of realignment of political forces.
Congress leaders do not rule out the possibility of the JD(S) cosying up to the BJP in the coming days, particularly in the wake of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s recent courtesy call on the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda at the latter’s residence and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings to the JD(S) patriarch on his 89th birthday.
During Assembly polls
The accusations of a pact between the JD(S) and the BJP in Mysuru region are not new. Mr. Siddaramaiah had himself accused the two parties of joining hands with each other during the last Assembly polls by strategically fielding weak candidates in a number of constituencies, including Chamundeshwari and Varuna, to ensure the defeat of Congress candidates.
During Wednesday’s Mayoral polls, the JD(S) fielded its candidate Ashwini Ananthu against BJP’s Ms. Palanetra and Congress’ Shantakumari. The BJP, which is the single-largest party in the MCC council, emerged victorious in the three-way split of votes.
