Former Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily on Monday claimed that the Mahagatbandhan (grand alliance) of the non-NDA parties will come to power in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections even as Congress alone will win over 200 seats. In that event, Congress president Rahul Gandhi will become the Prime Minister, he said.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to the city, Mr. Moily said that on the one hand, Bharatiya Janata Party’s strength has diminished after the recent Assembly elections in five States and on the other, its trusted allies, namely Shiv Sena and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (of Upendra Kushwaha), have left the National Democratic Alliance further weakening the party.
He said the grand alliance would accept Mr. Gandhi as the Prime Minister even though the alliance was not going to announce its prime ministerial candidate immediately. With Congress winning over 200 seats, Mr. Gandhi is bound to be the Prime Minister being the leader of the single largest party in the alliance, he said. In Karnataka, the Congress and JD(S) combine would contest the Lok Sabha polls. One may not be surprised if BJP wins just three or four seats, he said adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is bound to lose power.
Speaking about the reported rumblings in Congress, Mr. Moily said all legislators cannot be made Ministers. With Saturday’s Cabinet expansion, the party has put an end to the reported unrest about north Karnataka being improperly represented. Mr. Moily said he would contest from Chickballapur for the third consecutive time.