Bengaluru: Not for nothing is it said, “Politics makes strange bedfellows”. The whole nation knows how the Congress and the JD(S) stitched an unholy relationship to grab power and keep BJP at bay, though the BJP emerged as the single largest party in the last Karnataka assembly elections. Now, the JD(S) and the BJP have decided to continue the coalition they have had in the local body elections of Mysuru. Though the BJP has joined hands with the JD(S), its members do point fingers at the JD(S) saying this should provide more reason to the people to vote for the BJP.

Shreenath Sheshadri, a spokesperson of the BJP says, “The congress and JD(S) fought the Karnataka Assembly elections separately. Later they joined hands to form the government, much against the public mandate. Again, they could not forge a common front to fight the local body elections in Mysuru. They contested independently. After results were out, they tried to subvert people’s mandate. People will see through this mess and would be more confident in the long term. This would be something positive for the BJP as we see this move will have a national impact.”

But at the other end of the continuum, the JD(S) begs to differ. Its members feel that the issues at the local level are far different from those at the national level.

Arivalagan, a spokesperson of the JD(S) says, “We have been with the BJP for the last 5 years in relation to the local body polls. Be it at the national level or the state level or the local level, the issues are completely different. Keeping in mind the local issues and the betterment of the lives of people at the local level, we will continue to be with the BJP for the next 2 years as well.”