BENGALURU:
Congress and JD(S) may have embarked on a larger mission of stitching up a national alliance to rein in
BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, but the combine has already run into its first hurdle — Rajarajeswari Nagar and
Jayanagar polls, where voting is due on May 28 and June 11, respectively.
JD(S) wants to contest from RR Nagar in lieu of supporting Congress in Jayanagar. However, Congress leaders say their party wants to contest both the seats as it is better placed.
Sources in both parties said as part of their larger political plan they are working on an arrangement to win at least 23 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats from the state. JD(S) is bargaining for Mysuru and Shivamogga seats, apart from Mandya and Hassan which it holds currently.
“The main objective is to arrive at an amicable formula for the Lok Sabha elections, before which we have to address the issue of Jayanagar and RR Nagar,” said
Basavaraja Horatti, senior JD(S) leader.
Candidates of both the parties are already in the fray in the two assembly seats and they cannot be pulled out now. “At this stage, the parties can only announce support to a particular candidate and appeal to the electorate to vote for him or her,” said
N K Mohanram, a political analyst.
M Ramachandrappa, former city mayor and coordinator of the Congress campaign committee, said there is no question of sparing the RR Nagar seat to JD(S) since the sitting MLA N Muniratna is from Congress. Muniratna is fighting a triangular battle with BJP’s P Muniraju Gowda and G H Ramachandra from JD(S).
“It is unfair on the part of JD(S) to ask for RR Nagar which we hold. And in Jayanagar, the Congress has a fair chance of winning and hence we will not compromise on it. The alliance between Congress and JD(S) came up in the interim. Let elections happen in these constituencies irrespective of our friendship,” said Ramachandrappa.