Karnataka Assembly polls: JD(S) keeps BJP, Congress guessing on alliance

With opinion polls predicting that the Janata Dal (Secular) could emerge the 'king maker', its chief, H D Deve Gowda, tried to keep everyone guessing about his party's post-election strategy

If most opinion polls have predicted a hung Karnataka Assembly with the Congress as the single-largest party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hoping the blitzkrieg of public meetings of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi could lead to a repeat of his Gujarat election campaign.

In the Gujarat Assembly polls in December, Modi had nearly single-handedly turned the tide in his party’s favour. A BJP source on Tuesday said the PM would address 15 to 20 rallies in Karnataka from May 1. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is slated to address over two dozen public meetings.

The Congress, meanwhile, mounted a