BJP State unit president B.Y. Vijayendra addressing a prss conference in Bengaluru on Saturday.
| Photo Credit:
Karnataka State BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra on Saturday said the party’s Karnataka unit would abide by the decision of the BJP’s central leadership on its electoral alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular), a day after JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda announced that his party would contest local body elections independently.
Speaking to reporters here, Mr. Vijayendra said decisions on the alliance were taken by the party’s central leadership, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and the State unit would respect and follow those decisions.
“Our central leadership decided to join hands with the JD(S). Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda also took a decision to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Modi. We respect that and will abide by the decision taken by our central leadership,” he said.
Conciliatory tone
Mr. Vijayendra avoided any direct response to Mr. Gowda’s assertion that the JD(S) would not have an alliance with the BJP in local body elections, adopting a conciliatory tone instead. Describing Mr. Gowda as a senior statesman, he said, “Mr Deve Gowda is a tall leader of the State. I respect him as much as I respect my father. Both are mass leaders.”
He reiterated that on all issues related to electoral alliances, the State unit would act in accordance with the directions of the central leadership.
What Gowda said
Mr. Gowda, on Friday, clarified that while the BJP-JD(S) alliance would continue for Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the regional party would contest taluk panchayat, zilla panchayat and urban local body elections independently.
He said local-level contests depended on organisational strength and could not be decided at the national level.
Mr. Vijayendra also criticised the Congress government in Karnataka, alleging misgovernance, corruption and a collapse of law and order in the State. Referring to the outcome of the recently concluded local body elections in Dakshina Kannada, where Congress lost two of three town panchayats to which polls were held, hesaid public anger against the ruling party was evident. “The people have sent a clear message to the Congress government to either govern or step aside,” he said.
Published – December 27, 2025 08:51 pm IST
