Bengaluru: Giving enough indications that they are not happy with the course of coalition politics in the state, Congress leaders on Monday discussed the prospects of going it alone in the Lok Sabha polls instead of striking a deal with the JD(S) as anticipated.
Party leaders who participated in a campaign committee meeting, also accepted the direction of the AICC that no sitting Rajya Sabha or Assembly member should be fielded in the Lok Sabha polls. The top brass felt sacrificing a Rajya Sabha/ Assembly seat for the sake of a Lok Sabha constituency was not advisable in the present circumstances. Also, if a MLA contests and wins the LS polls, he may have to give up the Assembly seat which would deplete the coalition numbers in the Assembly-something the Congress wants to avoid.
This decision could seal the chances of former minister Roshan Baig, who had voiced his eagerness to contest the LS polls. On tying up with the JD(S), Congress leaders felt the vital question is who would benefit more from such a pact. The JD(S) which had won only two LS seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls compared to the Congress’ 9, wants 10-12 seats this time-and most of them are likely to be in the old Mysuru region leaving the Congress to battle it out with the BJP in its bastions in north and coastal Karnataka.
“The JD(S) might make unreasonable demands which is why the leadership wants to know if we can fight on our own and win more seats. The leaders seem confident of going it alone,” a senior leader said.
