Former Karnataka Chief Minister and JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Kumaraswamy met senior BJP leader and former state Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Sunday in Bengaluru, just two days after his party officially announced the alliance with the saffron party. He described Yediyurappa as one of the "tallest leaders in Karnataka" and said that he went to meet the former CM to seek his blessings. In a video posted by news agency ANI, he said, “We all know that they share a good bond."
The meeting took place after JD(S) joined the NDA bloc on Friday. The coalition was announced by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led party after a meeting of its leader and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP National President J P Nadda.
The Congress described the move of JD(S) joining BJP as a B-team in Karnataka after the official announcement of the NDA coalition. Commenting on it earlier, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that their prediction during Karnataka Assembly polls in this regard was also proved to be right.
On his profile on X (formerly Twitter), the Congress leader said, “The B-team of the BJP in the state — the JD(S) — has officially become part of the NDA, that too a day following the most communal attack by a BJP MP on a former senior JD(S) leader in the Lok Sabha.”
Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday said the Janata Dal (Secular) joining BJP-led NDA will strengthen the alliance “not only in Karnataka but also in entire south India”, reported news agency PTI.
Talking to reporters earlier, Sawant said the alliance will go on to win all Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka. He was also quoted as saying by PTI: “This alliance will not only be beneficial for the NDA in Karnataka, but entire south India.”
The JD(S) has long been a strong player in Karnataka, along with the Congress and the BJP. The regional party came third in the recent assembly polls in the state, where the Congress scored a big win.