New Delhi: After announcing that the Janata Dal (Secular) would get to contest four out of 28 Lok Sabha seats as part of the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Karnataka in 2024 polls, former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa struck a cautious note, saying that the matter of seat-sharing is left to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.“My earlier statement on seat sharing was based on JD(S) leader H.D. Deve Gowda’s meeting with Union home minister Amit Shah. As most of you know the two leaders have met; I am also aware of it. But seat sharing is a matter left to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah. I don’t have the authority to decide it,” The Hindu quoted him as saying, after he attended the BJP parliamentary board meeting in Delhi on Wednesday, September 13.“I am not aware of further developments in this regard. We will come to know about it after further discussions.” Yediyurappa added.On being pressed for an answer on the seat-sharing arrangement by media persons, he said, “I don’t know what is in the minds of Modi and Shah.”It was Yediyurappa who first confirmed the electoral alliance on September 8, going as far as announcing that JD(S) would get four Lok Sabha seats to contest. “I am happy that Deve Gowda ji met our prime minister and they have already finalised about four seats. I welcome them…” the former chief minister had said.However, on Wednesday, after attending the party’s parliamentary board meeting, he said he isn’t sure of the seat-sharing arrangement and it is for Modi and Shah to decide.Yediyurappa’s remarks that JD(S) would get four seats as part of the alliance had JD(S) leader Kumaraswamy responding that no such decision had yet been taken and Yediyurappa had spoken in his personal capacity.Word has it that the JD(S) wants to contest in five seats – Mandya, Hassan, Tumakuru, Chickballapur, and Bengaluru Rural. However, it is being speculated that the BJP wants to offer to the JD(S) four seats of Kolar, Hassan, Mandya, and Bengaluru Rural.Sources in the BJP told The Hindu that Yediyurappa’s cautious note on the seat-sharing arrangement is an indication that there are some challenges going forward that need to be resolved before finalising who gets to contest what. The source further added that Yediyurappa’s comments also indicate that such sensitive matter is left to the party’s high command.