'No truck with BJP or Cong for K'taka polls'

Bangalore, May 4: The Janata Dal(Secular) will not sew up any alliance with the BJP or the Congress for the Karnataka Assembly elections this month.

While announcing Mr H D Kumaraswamy as the party's chief ministerial candidate, JD(S) President and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda today said the people of the state will give a clear mandate to his party and even if it does not get a majority, it will not strike an alliance with the BJP or the Congress, and instead would be happy to sit in the Opposition or form coalition with other parties or take support from the Independents. The former Prime Minister claimed that his party has done many developmental works in its 20-month tenure. He also denied that his party has cheated the BJP by withdrawing support to it and said saffron party has placed many hurdles for Mr Kumaraswamy.

He said there was not any comparison between Mr Kumaraswamy and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi. ''Our party has no ideology of presenting only family members and Mr Kumaraswami is the son of a farmer that is why he is attached with farmers and Dalits,'' he added.

On being asked about the party's alliance with the Third Front in the next general elections, he said, "I had worked with leaders of the front but now the JD(S) want to serve the state without help of any other party and I want to strengthen the party in other states also." ''But if we get more seats in the Lok Sabha and the Third Front demands support, we will give it on conditions and will not change the party's ideology.'' JD(S) has fielded candidates on 222 seats for the Assembly elections. Election for first phase to 89 seats will be held on May 10 and for second phase, election will be held on May 16 to 66 seats, while in the third phase vote will be cast on May 22 for 69 seats.

UNI