Bengaluru: The proposal of mahaghatabandan (grand alliance) to stop the Modi juggernaut, is slowly shaping up in South India. After forming a formidable alliance with the Congress in Andhra Pradesh, now Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, a friend-turned-political foe of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is eyeing a similar experiment in Karnataka as well. He will meet former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda in this regard in Bengaluru on Thursday.
According to sources in the JD(S), Naidu is expected to arrive at noon in a special chopper from Hyderabad and will have a Deepavali sweet lunch at Gowda’s home in Padmanabhanagar, where Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy will also reportedly be present for the meeting. “Both the leaders will discuss the grand alliance in Karnataka. He is expected to play the role of mediator between his new found friend, AICC president Rahul Gandhi and Gowda,” a JD(S) leader said.
“By-election results further strengthened the alliance between the Congress and JD(S) in Karnataka. Naidu is expected to finalise the 2019 general election strategy. Deve Gowda and Naidu are expected to speak about expanding this alliance outside Karnataka too,” said sources.
In his bid to strengthen the alliance between ‘secular’ parties, CM Naidu had also met NCP chief Sharad Pawar, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, and others recently.
