Karnataka: no post-poll tie-up, says Advani

He said the failed coalition exercise with the Janata Dal Secular had made the party wary of another such attempt. Advani, however, expressed confidence that the BJP itself would garner the numbers needed to form a Government. “The virus of opportunism and betrayal by Congress and JD(S) played havoc with governance and development in Karnataka. The same virus is threatening to hit Karnataka's politics and governance again,” Advani said while talking to mediapersons. He said the Congress and JD(S) had made calculations for another hung Assembly to reenact the “unscrupulous politics they played after 2004, just to keep the BJP out of power”. Advani also sought a clear mandate for the BJP saying “Karnataka deserves much better than what it has got so far”.

While many parts of north, central and western India had been voting for the BJP, Karnataka was the only southern state that had shown an inclination for the party, he said. “The four southern states are not really with us. However, we have been observing Karnataka moving towards the BJP by winning seats in the state Assembly,” he said.

Asked why the BJP had given little representation for minorities while choosing its candidates for the current polls, Advani said it could be on account of a dearth. The blame for problems affecting minorities rests with the Congress which only use the group as a vote bank, the BJP leader said.