Former Karnataka chief minister and JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy on Friday, 22 December, met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, a day after he along with his party’s president HD Deve Gowda held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Following the meeting, Kumaraswamy thanked Singh for his assurance of the Union government’s support for the state’s development.
The BJP and the JD(S) have announced an alliance in Karnataka following the victory of the Congress in the state assembly polls in May this year. They are yet to announce their respective share of 28 Lok Sabha seats for the 2024 polls.
Eyeing to retain power at the Centre for a third straight term under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the BJP hopes to leverage the regional party’s support, especially in the Vokkaliga community, in the southern part of the state.
ಭಾರತ ಸರಕಾರದ ಮಾನ್ಯ ರಕ್ಷಣಾ ಸಚಿವರು ಹಾಗೂ @BJP4India ಪಕ್ಷದ ಹಿರಿಯ ನಾಯಕರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ @rajnathsingh ಅವರನ್ನು ಇಂದು ನವದೆಹಲಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸೌಹಾರ್ದಯುತವಾಗಿ ಭೇಟಿ ಮಾಡಿ ಮಾತುಕತೆ ನಡೆಸಲಾಯಿತು.
ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಸರ್ವಾಂಗೀಣ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಗೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಸರಕಾರದ ಸಹಕಾರ ಸದಾ ಇರುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಸಿಂಗ್ ಅವರು ಭರವಸೆ ನೀಡಿದರು.… pic.twitter.com/1hruOqkIR0
— ಹೆಚ್.ಡಿ.ಕುಮಾರಸ್ವಾಮಿ | H.D.Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) December 22, 2023
Related: JD(S) to ‘claim winnable seats’ from BJP for 2024 Lok Sabha polls
Meeting with PM Modi
On Thursday, Kumaraswamy, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Deve Gowda, said his party and the BJP will complete their talks regarding seat-sharing in the state for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections by the end of January 2024.
He said that the matter was discussed during the meeting on Thursday.
“Seat-sharing (talks) between the two parties will be completed comfortably by the end of January. There will be no hurdle in that,” Kumaraswamy told reporters in New Delhi.
When asked how many seats the JD(S) will seek, the former chief minister said, “The number of seats does not matter, we will claim winnable seats.”
The alliance with the BJP has been formed to give a befitting reply to the Congress, which wants to finish the JD(S) in Karnataka, he said.
The BJP had won 25 seats in the 2019 polls. The JD(S) won one Lok Sabha seat in the 2019 general elections when it contested in alliance with Congress. Sources said the party is likely to ask for at least four to five seats for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
(With PTI inputs)
