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Cong-JD(S) alliance preps poll battle plan against BJP

Last Updated 19 March 2019, 17:59 IST

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda has vowed to reduce the BJP to a single digit, even as the Congress and JD(S) jointly announced a slew of measures Tuesday to ensure their alliance worked without any glitches.

“Nominations have started. Time is very less. Whatever misunderstanding we have between us, we have to resolve them now,” Gowda told reporters here.

Traditional rivals, the Congress and JD(S) face the challenge of convincing their party workers to work together and garner votes for candidates fielded by the alliance.

Senior leaders from both the parties will be appointed as observers in every Lok Sabha constituency, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah said. “The observers will ensure coordination between both parties. Strict directives will be issued to the district units of both parties that they should forget their differences and work toward defeating the BJP in the interest of the state, country and democracy. I’m confident our party workers will abide by our decision,” he said.

A mega public rally has been planned near Bengaluru that will be attended by Congress president Rahul Gandhi and Gowda. The event will be held most likely on March 31. “This historic rally will sound the bugle of our election campaign,” Siddaramaiah said. “After that, leaders from both parties will hold joint campaigns across all 28 seats.”

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy admitted that there were problems in a few constituencies and asserted that they would be resolved.

Gowda appealed to the rank-and-file both parties to see beyond “any trouble our decisions may have caused and focus on the larger intent of defeating the BJP.” This appeal was seemingly directed at Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, who skipped the joint news conference amid speculation that he was sulking that the Tumkur Lok Sabha seat, represented by the party, had been ceded to the JD(S).

“Our resolve is to not only retain the seats we won in 2014, but to also win a majority of the 16 seats held by the BJP. We will not allow the BJP to reach the double-digit mark,” Gowda asserted.

Both parties have also discussed nominating designated leaders as spokespersons to interact with the press so as to speak in one voice on behalf of the alliance. Also, legislators from both parties have been asked not to air dissent publicly.

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(Published 19 March 2019, 10:25 IST)

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