The ongoing Budget Session of the Karnataka Legislature is witnessing unfolding political realignments, with JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy moving closer to the BJP, even as the party remains undecided on joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). A day after 10 BJP MLAs were suspended from the Assembly for throwing torn Bills at Deputy Speaker Rudrappa Lamani, JD(S) legislators on Thursday followed their BJP counterparts to the Raj Bhavan to file a complaint against Speaker U T Khader. JD(S) legislators also boycotted both Houses in solidarity with the protesting BJP MLAs. The move came days after the JD(S) backed the BJP stand against the Congress government's Bill repealing amendments introduced to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act by the previous BJP government. The JD(S) support to the Bill, which led to it being moved to a House panel, was a contrast to its position in 2020, when it had opposed the amendments introduced by the BJP. The developments are being seen as a clear indication that Kumaraswamy is moving closer to the BJP, despite not committing to aligning with the party. The decision to accompany BJP legislators to the Governor, however, did attract some resistance within JD(S) ranks, with some party leaders of the opinion that the JD(S) should file a separate complaint. According to sources, Kumaraswamy took the call on supporting the BJP protest after former CM Basavaraj Bommai called him up and sought the backing of the JD(S). Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy echoed the BJP's views that the Speaker was acting unilaterally. “The Congress was directly responsible for the chaos witnessed in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday,” he said. Bommai, who spoke to the media after filing the complaint along with JD(S) MLAs, said the Speaker’s chair was being misused. “The Speaker could have called us and discussed the issue,” he said, adding that the BJP and the JD(S) would fight unitedly against the Congress government. Despite the JD(S)'s reluctance to spell out its stance on backing the NDA, the party has not been averse to aligning with the BJP in the past. Back in 2006, the two parties had formed a coalition with Kumaraswamy as the CM and BJP Parliamentary Board member B S Yediyurappa as his deputy. It was popularly referred to as the ’20-20’ government, as the agreement was that both Kumaraswamy and Yediyurappa would serve as CMs for a 20-month period each. However, when the time came to transfer power to the BJP, the JD(S) did not acquiesce, and the government collapsed. Ever since its dismal performance in the 2023 Assembly polls though, the JD(S) has once again begun edging towards the BJP. Kumaraswamy has earlier acknowledged that the party was facing an 'existential crisis', and that he would act to preserve the party. Leaders of both the JD(S) and BJP have displayed a rare bonhomie of late, unseen between the camps in more than a decade. Due to the precarity of the regional party, some believe that it has already held preliminary talks on seat-sharing for the next Lok Sabha polls. While the JD(S) is keen to contest from most seats in its bastion of south interior Karnataka, the BJP is said to be reluctant to allow the JD(S) to contest from constituencies where it had won in 2019.
