Bangalore: Claiming that the BJP government in Karnataka would fall anytime in the wake of the party`s humiliating defeat in the recent Bellary Rural by-election, JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy today asked party workers to gear up for Assembly elections. "The government will fall anytime and we (JDS) should be ready to face the election," he told reporters after a meeting of party leaders.
Alleging that BJP has launched `Operation Kamala` to win over JDS MLAs to save its government, Kumaraswamy said, "No JDS legislators will fall a prey to this... all our MLAs are with us."
BJP suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of former minister B Sreeramulu, business associate of Bellary strongmen and mining barons -- G Janardhana Reddy and G Karunakara Reddy, in the recent Assembly byelection which he contested as an independent.
Sreeramulu has lambasted the BJP, from which he had resigned on the eve of the bypoll, for neglecting the contributions made by him to the party`s growth in Bellary and indicated that he might float a regional party.
Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda had earlier maintained that the bypoll outcome would not have any impact on the stability of his government. Kumaraswamy, a former chief minister, said his party would not destabilise the BJP government, but expected it to fall on its own.
He said party leaders had been directed to prepare a list of 100 winnable candidates and send it to party supremo and his father H D Deve Gowda.
The meeting also discussed strategies to strengthen the party at all levels in the state, he said.
PTI