JD(S) pulls out candidate for Jayanagar polls

In a bid to defeat the BJP, the JD(S) on Tuesday decided to withdraw its candidate, Kalegowda, from the Jayanagar Assembly constituency, which is going to polls on June 11.

In a statement, party supremo H D Deve Gowda announced that the party would instead support Congress candidate Sowmya Reddy.

The election in Jayanagar was countermanded following the demise of the BJP's official candidate, B N Vijayakumar, who died of a heart attack on May 4. The saffron party has now fielded Vijayakumar's brother B N Prahlad from the constituency.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy met Deve Gowda at his Padmanabhanagar residence. It is learnt that Reddy is said to have requested the JD(S) to support his daughter Sowmya, instead of fielding its own candidate.

The Congress and the JD(S), which have forged a post-poll alliance to form the government, had, however, refrained from forming a truck during the recently concluded Assembly election in the Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency.

Though the JD(S) had asked the Congress to extend support in RR Nagar, the grand old party had refused to do so. It had stated that it couldn't pull out its sitting MLA, Munirathna, from the race. Not wanting to back down, the JD(S), too, had entered the fray with G H Ramachandra as its candidate.

In the election held on May 28, Munirathna emerged victorious, while BJP candidate Muniraju Gowda came in second and Ramachandra a distant third.

BJP corporators back B N Prahalad All six BJP corporators in Jayanagar on Tuesday expressed solidarity with party candidate B N Prahalad, putting an end to all speculation. The election in the constituency was countermanded following the death of BJP candidate B N Vijayakumar. The party has now fielded Prahalad, Vijayakumar’s brother. The corporators said all the good work done by Vijayakumar will yield results in the polls, scheduled for June 11.