DK Shivakumar holds talks with Vokkaliga Congress leaders over poll results

BENGALURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who is also the speaker of the Assembly, presided over a crucial meeting on Thursday evening amid growing concerns that Vokkaliga votes may have tipped towards the BJP-JD(S) combine in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

The meeting was attended by BJP Vokkaliga MPs and Lok Sabha candidates. BJP Vokkaliga icon Shivakumar hosted the meeting at his residence in Sadashivanagar.

The leaders apparently discussed how the alliance is functioning on the ground, especially with the JD(S) suffering a defeat in last year’s state assembly elections. Sources said the blow the Congress Party suffered in Vokkaliga-dominated areas in the Lok Sabha elections was also discussed.

The meeting discussed the possibility of strengthening the JD(S), Congress’s main rival in the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysore region. If JD(S) state president HD Kumaraswamy becomes a Union minister, it could halt and even reverse the weakening of the regional party. The new-found strength could also prevent JD(S) leaders from quitting the party, Congress members argued.

Importantly, the Vokkaliga votes won by the Congress in last year’s state assembly elections appear to have returned to the JD(S). Congress leaders felt that with the upcoming local body elections in mind, the party should ensure that they win back the Vokkaliga vote.

The Vokkaligas claim to constitute 16 per cent of the state’s population and are considered a dominant and important community during elections.

Shivakumar was optimistic that Vokkaliga voters would gain traction in the Lok Sabha elections after their breakthrough in last year’s state assembly elections, and he reiterated the fact that the Congress had given eight Vokkaliga tickets for the Lok Sabha elections.

The Congress, which has 21 Vokkaliga members in the state assembly, sent a message through its meeting on Thursday that community leaders should remain united.

Yeshwantpur BJP state legislator and Vokkaliga member ST Somashekhar, who has distanced himself from the party, attended the meeting.

Minister Ramalinga Reddy, Minister Krishna Byleth Gowda, Minister N Charuvalayaswami, Minister K Venkatesh, Dr MC Sudhakar and other state legislators and former legislators were present at the function.