HAVING entered into an alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka, the JD(S) is waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make crucial decisions, including the possible induction of former CM H D Kumaraswamy into the Union Cabinet, the seats the JD(S) will contest, and the candidates.

Indicating this on Saturday, the JD(S) national president and former PM, H D Deve Gowda, said: “No discussion has happened in my presence. We do not know what is on Modi’s mind. He does not reveal what is on his mind. In many states, he has made new leaders chief ministers, to the surprise of all. Modi keeps his action plans close to his chest. Even his colleagues do not know what he is planning.”

On one issue though, the 90-year-old, who is a Rajya Sabha MP, was categorical: that he would not be contesting the Lok Sabha polls.

There has been speculation that Kumaraswamy will be inducted in the Modi Cabinet ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to show the strength of the new BJP-JD(S) alliance, and that he will subsequently contest from the Vokkaliga heartland seat of Mandya, which the party lost in 2019. The rumours were further strengthened after Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda met Deve Gowda and son Kumaraswamy last week, with talk that Kumaraswamy may get the portfolio.

Deve Gowda has always projected himself as a humble farmer leader.

But after the meeting with Munda, Kumaraswamy said: “I have not thought about becoming a Union minister. My aim is to defeat the Congress party in all the 28 Lok Sabha seats (in Karnataka)… What will I do becoming a Union minister?… I have no desire to be a minister and there has been no discussion.”

The JD(S) leader also added that the window of his appointment was very narrow as the elections could be announced soon, bringing the code of conduct into place. Kumaraswamy is currently an MLA from Channapatna.

Having sealed the Lingayat vote by accepting B S Yediyurappa’s prominence in the state, the BJP is looking at the Vokkaliga heartland now, which was the prime reason for its alliance with the JD(S).

The initial seat-sharing talks might be held on January 16, when Kumaraswamy has been invited to Delhi by the BJP.

The JD(S) is expected to ask for Mandya and Hassan (the lone seat won by the party in 2019) constituencies, apart from Kolar, Chikaballapur, and Bangalore Rural. The Hassan seat is held by Deve Gowda’s grandson and Kumaraswamy’s nephew Prajwal Revanna.

On Mandya, the BJP will be in a piquant position as Sumalatha Ambarish, the Independent whom the party had backed from the seat in 2019, causing the defeat of Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil, is keen to contest again.

Kumaraswamy indicated last week that he would speak to Sumalatha. There is talk that she may be offered another seat like Bangalore North by the BJP.

Traditionally, the Congress and JD(S) have been rivals in the Vokkaliga belt. In 2019, while the two were in alliance, the lack of cohesion between their workers is widely believed to have contributed to a dismal performance by the two parties, helping the Modi-led BJP sweep 25 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state.

The JD(S) is hoping the BJP backing will help it regain ground, after the 2023 Assembly polls saw it come down to 19 seats, with a sharp plunge in its vote share in south Karnataka as well.

On Saturday, Deve Gowda said it will all come down to what Modi decides. “Kumaranna (Kumaraswamy) will do what Modi says since they are in communication… Once he makes a decision, we will decide.”

The JD(S) president also said that the party could separately meet on January 16 for talks on the polls and candidates.

While reiterating that he would not contest the Lok Sabha elections, Deve Gowda said he would pitch in for campaigning. “Since I have the strength to speak and the strength of memory, I will use my full capabilities,” he said.

Separately, the JD(S) leader referred to the Cauvery water dispute, on which he has always fought for Karnataka’s cause, vowing to fight until death for the water rights of the state.

Deve Gowda said he along with MPs of the Congress and BJP – D K Suresh and Shivakumar Udasi, respectively – have written to the parliamentary committee on water resources to allow Karnataka to construct dams like Mekedatu on the Cauvery river since the dispute has now been settled by the Supreme Court. He said he would also bring the issue to the notice of PM Modi.

Praising the PM for announcing an 11-day fast ahead of the Ram Temple consecration ceremony, Deve Gowda said: “Modi is a blessed man… We don’t know what great things he has done in his previous life. He is fasting for 11 days for Ram Mandir. I have fasted for only one day religiously and for nine days politically. He has divine strength.”

Deve Gowda also appreciated Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah for saying he would visit the Ram Mandir after the consecration event on January 22.