Bengaluru Civic Polls: H D Deve Gowda seeks AAP support

Bengaluru:Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal seems to have become the go-to man for senior leaders from other political parties. A day after BJP MP Shatrugan Sinha called on him, reportedly to "discuss Delhi," former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda of JD(S) has reached out to Kejriwal.

In a letter released to the media late on Friday evening, Gowda has asked Kejriwal to extend the support of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the JD(S) in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike polls, to be held on August 22. The JD(S) is the third player in the elections to the civic body, which is set to witness a strong battle between the BJP and the Congress.

Gowda’s appeal comes a day after his son, former chief minister and JD(S) state chief H D Kumaraswamy, made a public statement that the JD(S) would appreciate AAP’s support. The AAP has not responded to this appeal, so far.

AAP leaders have made it clear that the party does not want to contest the polls this time, as there is a bill passed by both houses of the Karnataka legislature pending presidential assent, which will split the city’s civic body into three. If the President signs the bill before August 22, the elections will have to be put off till the process of trifurcation is complete.

If the elections are held, then the civic body that comes into existence will get dissolved whenever the President does sign the bill, making the elections infructuous, they have said.