Following poor Karnataka poll results, JD(S) plans to restructure party in a 'big way'

Bengaluru: Following the poor show in the Karnataka Assembly polls, JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said there are plans to restructure the party in a "big way".

The former chief minister said that JD(S) National President and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has advised that a high-level committee be constituted with representation from all communities for strengthening the party.

"In a big way we want to give responsibilities this time, community wise, as per the directions of our national president, and extract work from them in order to build trust among the people and to strengthen the party. So, there are plans to bring in big changes and restructure the party," Kumaraswamy said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said, "We have started discussions with leaders from all 30 districts. We discuss and decide on restructuring." JD(S) emerged a distant third in the Assembly polls last month by securing just 19 of the total 224 seats. Following this, party state president C M Ibrahim and youth wing chief Nikhil Kumaraswamy have resigned taking moral responsibility. Their resignations are yet to be accepted.

JD(S) chief Deve Gowda has called a meeting of party leaders to discuss the party's performance in the recently held Assembly polls as well as about organising, strengthening the party and restructuring of taluk and district units wherever necessary ahead of the upcoming zilla, taluk and corporation polls, in addition to making preparations for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Stating that the JD(S) will wait and watch whether the Congress government will fulfil the irrigation projects in the state and its poll guarantees as promised before the elections, Kumaraswamy said, "If they take steps to implement them as promised, we will support. If not, we will fulfill the responsibility as an opposition by creating awareness among the people." He also hit out at Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for accusing the opposition of trying to incite people by spreading false information regarding the guarantee schemes. "Siddaramaiah, it is you who have misled the people. You have now attached conditions for the implementation of guarantees, without having made any reference to them ahead of elections." Kumaraswmy urged the Siddaramaiah government to walk the talk and fulfill the guarantees as promised to the people before the polls.

"Their (Congress govt) guarantees seem to have become duplicate. We will see how many beneficiaries will get the advantage of them in the next few days... Let's give some time to the new government, we will discuss on the floor of the Assembly," he added.