JOIN USSixteen days after joining hands to form an alliance at the state-level, the JD(S) and the Congress on Friday announced their decision to fight the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as pre-poll allies.
Addressing a jam-packed press conference in Bengaluru to announce the power-sharing deal between the two parties, AICC General Secretary in charge of Karnataka K C Venugopal said the exact distribution of seats will be worked out and announced later. There are 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka.
JD(S) and Congress had stitched up a post-poll alliance at the state level after the recent Assembly polls yielded a fractured mandate with BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 members, falling short of the required numbers.
The two parties decided to take their alliance to the national level after it was felt it will electorally benefit both. Congress president Rahul Gandhi held discussions with JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda in this regard, sources said.
“In the Assembly polls, over half the electorate voted for our two parties taken together,” Venugopal said.
There was bonhomie and bonding among the galaxy of Opposition leaders who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Kumaraswamy and the development was seen as a setting the stage for a broad-based anti-BJP platform ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. The Congress seems to be positioning itself as the leader of this front.
Besides Rahul and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, BSP chief Mayawati, RLD president Ajith Singh, CPM Secretary General Sitaram Yechury, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and SP leader Akhilesh Yadav attended the event.