Kumaraswamy smells poll deal between BSY, Shivakumar

JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Monday charged BJP State President B S Yeddyurappa with reaching an understanding with Energy Minister D K Shivakumar for the upcoming Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections.

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Kumaraswamy said Yeddyurappa and his supporters have signed a pact with Shivakumar.

The BJP leader has told Independent MLAs who are aspiring to contest the next Assembly elections on a BJP ticket, to vote for the Congress in the Rajya Sabha elections, Kumaraswamy said.

In turn, Shivakumar will transfer his party’s surplus votes to the BJP in the Legislative Council elections. “If the BJP MLAs can vote for the Congress, what is the guarantee that Congress MLAs will not vote for the JD(S)?” Kumaraswamy said.

Attacking Independent MLAs for “being influenced” by the Congress after posing as ‘proposers’ to JD(S) Rajya Sabha candidate B M Farook, Kumaraswamy said the brain behind the entire charade was Shivakumar.

“He has given media statements that the government has assured special packages for constituencies of Independent candidates. Discussions were held at his residence, while the chief minister’s private car was used to ferry these candidates to Taj West End (sic),” Kumar-aswamy said.

Holding the Congress responsible for resort politics and encouraging horse trading, he said Siddaramaiah has already announced that his party has won the elections. If so, what was the need to whisk these MLAs outside the state, he wondered.

Admitting that his party lacked the numbers to win seats in the elections, Kumaraswamy said the party was bagging “conscience” votes of Congress MLAs to the seats.

He said he was banking on Congress MLAs to help his party. “Given the deteriorating state of affairs (horse trading), I am hoping that some Congress MLAs will vote for us on their own accord. Anyway, the poll results would not have an impact on the party.”