Cong, JD(S) to iron out seat-sharing wrinkles

Senior leaders of the Congress and the JD(S) will huddle up later this week to clear bottlenecks in the sharing of seats between the two parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundu Rao held talks with JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda at the former prime minister’s Padmanabhanagar residence on Thursday. The two did not spell
out a decision on sharing of seats.

“We did not discuss who should get how many seats. Gowda has suggested that another meeting be held soon. In the next 2-3 days, leaders of both parties will sit down and talk, after which we will inform our high command,” Rao told reporters after his meeting with Gowda.

The JD(S), which has been flexing its muscle, has stuck to its demand of contesting from 12 constituencies, including those held by the Congress. Rao pointed out that the 10 incumbent Congress MPs do not want their seats to be ceded to the JD(S).

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy met Gowda and the two are said to have discussed seat-sharing, election preparedness and the current political scenario.

They discussed Hassan, Mandya, Mysore, Shimoga, Bangalore North and other seats where the JD(S) is keen to contest, it is said.

“There is no confusion on sharing of seats. All problems will be sorted in a couple of days,” Kumaraswamy told reporters.

The JD(S), however, remained bullish after having threatened to go it alone if the party was not satisfied with the seat-sharing deal offered by the Congress.

Minor Irrigation Minister C S Puttaraju of the JD(S) told reporters that the Mandya seat will come to the JD(S). “I’m 200% confident that the seat will be given to us. It is ours,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter who visited whose house. Deve Gowda and Congress president Rahul Gandhi will finalise the seats arrangement, which state leaders have to follow,” he added, referring to Sumalatha’s meeting with Congress leader Siddaramaiah on her contesting from Mandya.

AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, K C Venugopal is expected to hold discussions with state party leaders on Friday.