Bengaluru: In a sign that the JD (S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda prefers to deal directly with Congress leaders in Delhi rather than state leaders with whom the seat-sharing issue for forthcoming Lok Sabha polls has turned contentious, a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi is on the cards, next week.
Sources in Dal (S) said though Mr Gowda stuck with his demand for a dozen Lok Sabha seats, he may press for a 1:2 formula, although the Congress may only cede 9-10 seats, if that.
Sufficient hints in this regard were given during a meeting of JD (S) legislature party on Tuesday evening with all members who supported a resolution on the need for a pre-poll pact with Congress speaking for a direct meeting between Mr Gowda and Mr Gandhi as soon as Mr Gandhi returns from his Dubai trip.
With relations between Mr Kumaraswamy and Mr Siddaramaiah turning sour, these leaders did not meet as scheduled on Tuesday, nor did the Chief Minister respond to telephone calls of state Cong in charge K.C.Venugopal.
