BJP, JD(S) renew alliance to fight upcoming polls together, says Yediyurappa

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Janata Dal (Secular) (JD(S)) will contest all future elections in Karnataka together under the NDA banner, former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said on Monday, signalling a renewed electoral understanding between the two parties ahead of the 2028 Assembly election.

Addressing presspersons in Kalaburagi, Mr. Yediyurappa said the leaders of both parties had agreed to sustain the alliance and contest the upcoming elections jointly.

The alliance will face its first electoral test in the October 23 elections to four Legislative Council constituencies. The BJP is contesting the South-East Graduates’, West Graduates’ and North-East Teachers’ constituencies, while the Bengaluru Teachers’ constituency has been allotted to the JD(S). The outcome will also give a clearer picture of the level of coordination between the two parties as they prepare for the larger electoral contest in 2028.

The BJP has renominated Shashil G. Namoshi, sitting MLC, from the North-East Teachers’ constituency. Mr. Yediyurappa expressed confidence in Mr. Namoshi’s prospects, saying he had toured the constituency extensively and had sought the support of teachers.

The former Chief Minister also attacked the Congress government over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying any errors should be rectified and those responsible for lapses should face action.

“If there are mistakes in the SIR process, the government should rectify them, but putting pressure on teachers and other government employees involved in the electoral exercise is not right,” he said, alleging that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had misused his authority.

Mr. Yediyurappa further alleged that the police were booking BJP workers as they were under pressure from the Congress government following Mr. Shivakumar’s October 1 protest at the Election Commission office in Bengaluru over the alleged mass filing of Form-7 applications.

He accused the government of failing to address vacancies and infrastructure gaps in the education sector. He claimed that around 45,000 teaching posts and 6,000 university faculty positions were vacant and that nearly 15,000 school buildings were in a dilapidated condition.

He also criticised the government’s response to farmers affected by the drought and urged the government to provide greater assistance to those facing distress.

Responding to Mr. Shivakumar’s assertion regarding the 2028 Assembly election, Mr. Yediyurappa said the Chief Minister was “under an illusion” about the Congress returning to power. He said that the days when elections could be won solely through “money power, muscle power, and caste power” were over.

He also expressed confidence that the BJP, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, would return to power in Karnataka in 2028 with a clear majority.

When asked about the Chief Ministerial face of the BJP-JD(S) alliance, Mr. Yediyurappa said the question could be addressed after the elections. “Let us first face the elections,” he said.

Former Union Minister Bhagwant Khuba, Umesh Jadhav, former MP, N. Ravikumar, MLC, MLAs Shailendra Beldal, Basavaraj Mattimadu and Avinash Jadhav, and Mr.Namoshi were present.