Finding JD(S) cold, Left parties name Lok Sabha candidates

Janata Dal (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has been camping in New Delhi to build Third Front. But back home, his party has been lukewarm to the requests of Left parties for seat sharing arrangements with it. 

With no signs of Third Front emerging, Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) have decided to field four to five candidates. The CPM Central Committee, in Delhi on Sunday cleared names of G V Srirama Reddy, former MLA from Bagepalli, as candidate for Chikkaballapur Lok Sabha constituency and Yadav Shetty for Dakshina Kannada seat. The JD(S), it is said, was reluctant to leave Chikkaballapur seat to CPM, whereas Reddy was particular about contesting from there.

Reddy said that so far there is no initiative by JD(S) to hold talks with either of Left parties. However, CPM and CPI have come to seat sharing arrangement. “We will contest from two seats, whereas CPI will be fielding candidates for two seats - Udupi-Chikmagalur and Davangere. All India Forward Bloc headed by G R Shivashankar will contest from Bangalore South, with Left support,” he added.

State CPI Secretary P V Lokesh said names of Vijaykumar for Udupi-Chikmagalur seat, H K Ramachandrappa for Davangere and Shivanna as well as Chinnappa have been forwarded to the central committee for final selection.

Lokesh said that both Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy have not shown interest in bringing like-minded parties together. Left parties, JD (S), SP, JD (U) and NCP could have come together to fight against Congress and BJP in the State. “We do not mind joining hands with AAP to fight our enemies. But as of now, no state specific alliances are being worked out,” he added.