Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) ran the government in Karnataka, though the tenure was short-lived. But since parting ways, the allies have been attacking each other.
Ahead of Rajarajeshwari Nagar (a locality in Bengaluru) assembly bypoll, JD(S) leader and former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy fired another dart at his party’s erstwhile ally.
“Congress party’s game plan will not work this time in RR Nagar. How will they face the voters when they could not do anything for the constituency despite winning the elections from here twice?” Kumaraswmay said on Wednesday as he accompanied his party candidate V Krishnamurthy who filed nomination for the bypoll.
The election is going to be interesting as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress have also fielded their candidates. While N Munirathna is fighting the bypoll on BJP ticket, H Kusuma is the Congress candidate for the November 3 bypoll.
Munirathna was twice elected on Congress ticket from RR Nagar constituency – once in 2013 and second time in 2018.
However, his resignation from the Assembly last year under anti-defection law along with 15 other MLAs of Congress and the JD(S) necessitated the bypolls in the constituency.
After resigning from the assembly, he joined the BJP and now, he is contesting the polls on the BJP ticket.
Congress candidate Kusuma, wife of deceased IAS officer DK Ravi, was accompanied by former chief minister Siddaramaiah and Congress state chief D K Shivakumar as she filed the nomination papers.
Shivakumar said the election was crucial as it is a way to send a message to the state government as well as the Centre.
Earlier this month, Kumaraswamy had made a scathing attack on Congress, saying it was not a party worthy of an alliance and it does not honour coalition dharma.
“Who had placed the proposal from the JD(S) to have an alliance with the Congress? None of us have gone to Congress’ doors like they had come to H D Deve Gowda’s (JDS supremo) doors after the 2018 assembly polls,” Kumaraswamy tweeted.
Both Congress and JD(S) had formed a coalition government led by Kumaraswamy after the 2018 assembly polls, but parted ways following the collapse of government due to internal differences and defection from several legislators.
