Telangana CM to campaign for JD(S) in border areas

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his cabinet colleagues will campaign for JD(S) in border areas and Kalyana Karnataka.

Rao's Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and JD(S) are, thus, planning to strengthen their relations to prepare the ground for the Lok Sabha elections to be held next year. Both parties want to forge an alliance for the parliamentary polls.

Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Ballari and Kalaburagi districts share the border with Telangana. It is said that the Telangana chief minister has collected information about the mindset, opinion and expectations of the people apart from party-wise strength in the region. Out of 41 seats coming under seven districts in the region, people in 30 Assembly constituencies speak Telugu.

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The BRS is planning to campaign in favour of JD(S) candidates by highlighting its schemes, including Raitha Bandhu, Raitha Bima and 24X7 power supply to agriculture pumpsets.

JD(S) won four Assembly seats in the 2018 assembly elections in the region. The party represents Gurmitkal, Bidar South, Manvi and Sindhanur assembly constituencies.

Congress had won 21 seats and BJP had emerged victorious in 16 constituencies in Kalyana Karnataka. JD(S) had won five seats in 2013 and 2008. In 2004, it had won 14 seats. The party had secured 14% vote share by fielding 32 candidates in 2018.

"Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and four or five ministers will campaign for JD(S) in the assembly elections in the state. The constituencies, where campaigning will be held, will be finalised after filing the nomination papers", JD(S) leader and MLA Bandeppa Kashempur said.