Bengaluru: Even as JD(S) Supremo and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda asked on Tuesday to show him one party in the country that has done politics without establishing some kind of relationship with the BJP, speculations are rife that the JD(S) would become a part of the ruling NDA at the Centre.

The speculation gathered steam after the recent visit of former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy to Delhi where he is said to have met top BJP leaders who chiefly included BJP National President J.P. Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The meeting has given credence to speculations that the JD(S) is likely to tie up with the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

According to highly placed sources, the JD(S) is likely to contest in 5 seats in the LS polls if the coalition with the BJP eventually happens.

I won’t contest LS polls:  H.D. Deve Gowda

H.D. Deve Gowda, in response to a question by reporters  during his press meet in Bengaluru on Tuesday on whether there were chances of a BJP-JD(S) pre-poll alliance for next year’s LS polls, said several parties in different States have joined hands with the BJP directly or indirectly. Charging that several leaders of the Congress are involved with the BJP and this could be seen even in Karnataka, Deve Gowda asserted that there was nothing to hide here.

In response to another question on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s efforts to forge an anti-BJP coalition ahead of the LS polls, the JD(S) Supremo retorted saying, “I will answer questions on JD(S)-BJP tie up after you show me one party that has not done politics without a relationship with the BJP.” He also maintained that it is a fact that some Congress leaders, in order to further their political careers, have come to some sort of an understanding with the BJP.

Continuing, Deve Gowda said a decision as to how many seats would the party be contesting in the LS polls and the Constituencies will be taken up on the party’s platform.

Asserting that he would not be contesting the 2024 LS polls due to his age factor, Deve Gowda said the JD(S) would not be depressed by the Assembly polls defeat. Contending that the JD(S) will emerge as a phoenix as in the past, he said that there are several elections ahead, for which the party is gearing up.

The former PM later addressed JD(S) party workers from five districts at the Party Headquarters (J.P. Bhavan) here during a meeting to review the party’s loss in the Assembly polls.

Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy too addressed the party workers, during which he said that the Congress through its guarantees was misleading the public. The party has seen several defeats and it has come back stronger, he pointed out.