JD (S) fares well in local body polls, legislators to discuss power transfer

Amid reports of an impressive performance by the JD (S) in the polls to urban local bodies, the JD (S) Legislature Party will be meeting in Bangalore on Monday to take stock of the prevailing political situation and discuss the contentious issue of transfer of power to BJP.

The JD (S) and Congress were locked in a neck and neck race in the 4,920 wards of 209 urban local bodies of Karnataka while the BJP had been pushed to third place. According to trends in the counting of votes, which was progressing, the Congress had bagged 1,111 wards out of the 2,850, whose results had been announced. The JD (S) was close behind with 1,044 wards while the BJP had 669 wards in its kitty.

Expressing satisfaction over the trends of the results, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said the outcome proves that even urban voters have reposed their trust in the party. “We were hitherto considered to be a rural based party. Now, even urban voters have expressed their support to us”, he said.

Though Kumaraswamy ruled out the possibility of the outcome of the urban local body polls having any impact on the political situation in the State, political observers pointed out the results will have a bearing on the proposed parleys between alliance partners JD (S) and BJP on the issue of power transfer.

The JD (S) has convened a meeting of its legislature party soon after a Cabinet meeting on Monday to discuss the performance of the party in the polls and the issues of power transfer.

“The JD (S) Legislature Party will deliberate and decide on the power transfer issue. There are certain things that need to be considered by our legislators. I can’t talk about those issues openly”, Kumaraswamy said.

When asked whether power will be transferred to the BJP as scheduled on October 3, Kumaraswamy said “I will take a decision that would be appreciated by 50 million people of Karnataka”.

Referring to BJP’s Tourism Minister B Sriramulu’s resignation, Kumaraswamy said the resignation did not have much of an importance at this stage. “I never asked for Sriramulu’s resignation. The state is in the grip of a sensitive political situation. There is no urgency to decide on the resignation letter”, Kumaraswamy said.

He, however, added that he was in receipt of the letter and was yet to decide on accepting it or ignoring it.