Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Oct 10: Partners of the state coalition government, Congress and JD(S), have reached an understanding on sharing of seats in respect of three Lok Sabha seats and two assembly constituencies which will face bypoll next month. They also have decided to undertake joint campaigning for the election.

This decision was taken at a meeting organized on Tuesday October 9 night at Kumara Kripa guest house. Leaders of both the parties like former Prime Minister, H D Deve Gowda, state Congress affairs in-charge, K C Venugopal, coordination committee chairman, Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, Dinesh Gundu Rao and JD(S) chief general secretary, Danish Ali, took part in this meeting.

Meeting at KPCC office

Briefing the media persons after the meeting, Venugopal said that Ballari and Shivamogga Lok Sabha seats and Jamkhandi assembly constituency have been allocated to his party while JD(S) will field its candidates in Mandya Lok Sabha and Ramanagara assembly constituencies. He also said that the parties will undertake campaigning jointly. He added that this partnership has been forged with the clear aim of giving a strong message that secular parties have been joining hands at the national level.

Siddaramaiah said that Congress and JD(S) will fight the bypoll together, and their main aim is to defeat BJP.

It is said that before the meeting, Deve Gowda and chief minister, H D Kumaraswamy, held telephonic consultation over reaching an understanding with the Congress for the bypoll. Their discussions also included choice of candidates for Ramanagara assembly seat and Mandya Lok Sabha seat, sources said. It is learnt that candidatures of Anita Kumaraswamy for Ramanagara and either Laxmi Ashwini Gowda or minister, D C Thammanna's son, Santosh, for Mandya Lok Sabha seat have been finalised.

BJP too held prolonged core committee meeting on Tuesday on the issue of party candidate. It decided to field B Y Raghavendra from Shivamogga, former MP, J Shantha from Ballari, and Srikant Kulkarni from Jamkhandi seat. These names are being sent to the central leaders for approval. Yeddyurappa has been vested with the power to decide on the candidates for Ramanagara assembly seat and Mandya Lok Sabha (LS) seat. Reports say that the BJP is trying to rope in leaders from other parties for being fielded from these two constituencies as it does not have a formidable presence here.

Congress also held meeting presided by K C Venugopal with the participation of deputy chief minister, Dr G Parameshwar, coordination committee chairman, Siddaramaiah, KPCC president, Dinesh Gundu Rao, working president, Ishwar Khandre and minister, D K Shivakumar. It is said that the party has zeroed in on the name of Anand Nyam Gowda for Jamkhandi constituency, former minister, Kimmane Ratnakar, Sundaresh or former MLA, Belur Gopalakrishna, for Shivamogga LS seat. As there are many aspirants for Ballari seat, Shivakumar has been given the authority to choose a candidate through unanimous decision.