JD(S) To Fight LS Elections Independently, Says Deve Gowda

The Janata Dal (Secular) would fight the Lok Sabha elections independently, the party supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, said on Tuesday, ruling out the possibility of an electoral tie-up with the NDA.

Gowda's son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said last week his party would work together with the BJP against the Congress government on various issues, fueling speculation of the two parties joining hands for next year's polls.

Both the JD (S) and the BJP MLAs had boycotted the Assembly session after 10 BJP legislators were suspended from the House for ''indecent and disrespectful conduct''.

''JD(S) will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently'', Deve Gowda told a news conference here.

''Whether we (the party) win five, six, three, two or one seats, we will fight the Lok Sabha elections independently'', he said. ''We will field candidates only in those places where we are strong after consulting with our workers''.