Congress-JD(S) to contest 2019 Lok Sabha elections together

The Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) finally seemed to have arrived at a conclusion regarding portfolio sharing in Karnataka. While the JD(S) will keep finance, Congress gets to keep home.

india Updated: Jun 01, 2018 18:21 IST
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah (left), Congress leader KC Venugopal (centre) and chief minister HD Kumarswamy (right) during a press conference for announcement of portfolio distribution between the two parties, in Bengaluru. (Arijit Sen/HT Photo)

The Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) finally seemed to have arrived at a conclusion regarding portfolio sharing in Karnataka. While the JD(S) will keep finance, Congress gets to keep home.

Addressing media personnel in Bengaluru on Friday, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said, “Both the Congress and JD(S) have arrived at a conclusion regarding cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation. JD(S) will be holding the finance portfolio and Congress home. Everything is settled.”

The Congress’ Karnataka twitter handle said it will keep the portfolios of home, irrigation, health, urban and rural development. agriculture, housing, etc. The JD(S) will keep the portfolios of finance, public works department, power, tourism, education, etc.

Venugopal also announced plans to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections together. “Congress and JD(S) will fight the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in alliance,” he said.

Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy said that the expansion of his two-member Congress-JD(S) ministry will take place on June 6.

Kumaraswamy along with his deputy and Pradesh Congress Committee chief G Parameshwara met Governor Vajubhai Vala at Raj Bhavan to discuss the dates for swearing-in of the new ministers.

Ahead of visiting Raj Bhavan, Kumaraswamy, Parameshwara and Congress general secretary KC Venugopal held discussions with former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda at his residence about cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation.

Even 10 days after taking over the administration on May 23, Kumaraswamy is yet to install a full-fledged team of ministers. The delay in forming a full ministry is attributed to the hard bargaining between the two parties over portfolio allocation, particularly the plum finance and some other key departments like energy.

Only Parameshwara was sworn in as deputy CM, along with Kumaraswamy on May 23. Kumaraswamy had proved majority on the floor of the assembly on May 25.