Kumaraswamy’s overtures on return to State politics create a flutter in NDA alliance

Amid internal bickering in the BJP, the pitch for Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy to return to State politics seems to have raised the heat in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It is being seen as a threat to the political future of the BJP’s State leaders and an indication of how the saffron party’s own Central leadership assesses its local leaders.

The voices pitching Mr. Kumaraswamy, who is also the Janata Dal (Secular) State president, as the “next Chief Minister” has gathered momentum, particularly after the party’s convention in January last week in Hassan where his son and party youth president Nikhil Kumaraswamy announced that his focus was on ensuring that his father occupies the top post, after 2028 polls.

Mr. Kumaraswamy also acknowledged that his party workers want him back. Days prior to this, an AI-generated titled “Daddy is Back”, featuring Mr. Kumaraswamy, had also gone viral.

Ahead of local body polls

This talk is also coming at a time when the elections to corporations in the Greater Bengaluru Authority region, zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats are around the corner. Though the alliance partners are yet to hammer out seat-sharing arrangements, the regional party is keen to retain its strength and identity in its stronghold — the Vokkaliga-dominated Old Mysore region.

A senior BJP leader said that the party leadership in Delhi could promote Mr. Kumaraswamy as the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) face in Karnataka, at least as “a temporary arrangement”.

“Without the concurrence of the BJP central leadership, he will not risk projecting himself as the chief ministerial face. But this could be only till the time BJP decides on its own leadership since most leaders in BJP at this point of time do not have connect with the masses,” he argued.

The retirement from active politics of former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, who was a crowd puller, is being felt by the party, sources said.

According to a BJP legislator, the central leadership also feels that there is a vacuum in the absence of former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and Jagadish Shettar, and former Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, inside the legislature.

Sources aware of the developments in the JD (S) confirmed that Mr. Kumaraswamy’s posturing had “tacit blessings” from the BJP central leadership, and he had been asked to return to State politics at an “opportune time”.

“However, there have been no formal talks on Mr. Kumaraswamy being the NDA face within the alliance,” said the sources.

Heartburn in BJP

The sources also conceded that there was heartburn among the senior leaders in the party over Mr. Kumaraswamy’s posturing.

“Leaders are worried that there could be a power-sharing agreement allowing Mr. Kumaraswamy to head for partial term if the alliance comes to power post 2028,” a leader said.

Multiple sources said that the BJP was now being seen as a divided house with multiple aspiring leaders, though united in their discomfort over the overtures of Mr. Kumaraswamy and this prospect.

Acknowledging that there was a tacit campaign being built around “Kumaranna Again” for the Chief Minister’s post, another JD (S) source, however, said that this would not be against the BJP State leadership.

“As a regional party, we have our right to protect our party, identity and project our leader. He is also the party’s State president and his politics will be in the State. We are strengthening the party and we have started preparing the party for elections,” the source said.