The bitter defeat of former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil by an independent in the 2019 Mandya Lok Sabha polls and that of former PM HD Deve Gowda in Tumakuru by a BJP MP appeared to point towards the JD(S)’s waning sway over the Vokkaliga community, leaving it in a vulnerable position of salvaging its fortunes by “aligning” with either one of the two national parties.