Top

It's 19-9! After Rahul Gandhi meets HD Deve Gowda, JD(S), Congress strike deal

Deve Gowda suggested the two parties share the 28 seats in a one- third/two- third ratio in line with the sharing of ministries among them.

Bengaluru/New Delhi: A 19-9 seat-sharing deal may have been clinched between the Congress and Janata Dal (S) in Karnataka on Wednesday after a meeting between Congress President Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda in Delhi on Wednesday where the JD(S) supremo stake his party's claim to at least 10 of the 28 parliamentary constituencies in the state for the coming Lok Sabha poll.

The hour- long closed door meeting took place at Mr Gowda's house in Delhi, where Mr Gandhi arrived accompanied by AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka affairs, K C Venugopal with national general secretary of the JD(S), Danish Ali also present.

Going by sources, Mr Gowda wanted Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Bengaluru North, Tumakuru, Chikballapura, Chitradurga, Shivamogga, Vijayapura and Uttara Kannada for the JD(S). Although the Congress had won from Chikballapura and Tumakuru in the 2014 Lok Sabha poll, Mr Gowda reportedly argued that his party was capable of winning both seats in these elections. He suggested the two parties share the 28 seats in a one- third/two- third ratio in line with the sharing of ministries among them.

Mr Gandhi is said to have given a patient hearing to Mr Gowda and promised to get back to him in a week. He is likely to consult the state Congress leaders on the JD(S) demand and discuss the winning chances of that party at his Haveri rally on March 9, sources revealed.

"Our focus is to win the elections with as many seats for the alliance and we will concede a seat or so," Mr Deve Gowda told the media after the meeting.

The JD(S) patriarch is said to have met the Congress president directly as the Karnataka Congress leaders refused to part with more than nine seats when his party had demanded 12.

Former CM Siddaramaiah, Deputy CM, Dr G Parameshwar and Mr Venugopal also remained firm on retaining Chikkaballapura and Tumakuru represented by Congress MPs, M Veerappa Moily and Muddu Hanumegowda, who had won from these constituencies in 2014 despite the Modi wave across the country.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
Next Story