BJP-JD(S) combo agree to implement NDA’s Bihar model in Karnataka | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: BJP’s high command is preparing to take on governing Congress in Karnataka by strengthening its partnership with NDA ally JD(S) on the lines of the Bihar model. In Bihar, the BJP-led alliance is contesting assembly polls without naming a chief ministerial face, despite incumbent Nitish Kumar being in the fray. A similar arrangement with JD(S) is being planned for the 2028 Karnataka assembly elections. BJP and JD(S), who came together for last year’s Lok Sabha elections, had initially decided to contest upcoming local body elections — including Greater Bengaluru and zilla and taluk panchayats — independently to position themselves separately ahead of the assembly polls.

However, BJP’s high command has now instructed both parties to plan a combined strategy for all elections, including local bodies, assembly, and Lok Sabha polls. It has also asked the BJP state unit to organise political events to protest the Congress govt jointly with JD(S). The allies will soon form coordination panels — one for local body elections and another for other polls in Karnataka. “We (JD(S) and BJP) are gelling well and together we will form a formidable force against Congress,” said Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, opposition leader in the legislative council. “The Congress govt has earned a bad reputation thanks to its corruption and misrule so NDA will trump it in all state elections right from Greater Bengaluru corporations.” Narayanaswamy had accompanied BJP state president BS Vijayendra during a meeting with Union minister HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S) earlier this week. While this arrangement positions Kumaraswamy as the NDA face, BJP brass has decided not to announce a chief ministerial nominee, opting instead for collective leadership. This mirrors strategies adopted in Bihar and Maharashtra, where the CM post is decided post-polls based on numbers gained by the allies. Local brass of both BJP and JD(S) have reportedly agreed to this approach. “Our priority is to defeat Congress and ensure an NDA govt in Karnataka. It is too premature to discuss a chief ministerial face,” said Kumaraswamy. With the focus on strengthening the party ahead of assembly polls, JD(S) has identified 80–90 assembly seats which it can potentially win. Youth wing president Nikhil Kumaraswamy has been deployed to reach out to voters here. He has already visited most of them. The party has even identified probable candidates, aiming to claim 90 seats when seat-sharing is discussed, leaving 134 seats for BJP. For now, the allies are focusing on finalising names for the coordination committees. “A meeting has been called on Monday to discuss the nitty-gritty of Greater Bengaluru poll preparations and other issues. Our party will finalise names for the coordination panel after Monday’s meeting,” said NS Nadeesh Reddy, BJP state general secretary.