Was the Karnataka MLC election a major political victory for D.K. Shivakumar, or was it part of the NDA’s strategy all along?
In this exclusive interview with NDTV, Union Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy rejects the claim that the MLC election result strengthened the Congress or D.K. Shivakumar politically. He says the NDA deliberately fielded a candidate despite lacking the numbers to test the unity and commitment of its own MLAs ahead of future elections.
Kumaraswamy also explains why the BJP-JD(S) alliance viewed the contest as a strategic exercise rather than a contest they expected to win, and what lessons the alliance drew from the outcome.