Bangalore, June 18, DHNS: JD(S) chief H D Deve Gowda on Friday said his party decided to back independent candidate Vijay Mallya in the Rajya Sabha elections as the Congress denied a tie-up offer made by his party. 

Displaying a letter dated May 19 that he wrote to Congress President Sonia Gandhi to the media, Gowda said he had mooted an electoral understanding between the two parties and had appealed the Congress to support the candidature of his party leader, Danish Ali, with its surplus votes. The JD(S) had helped the Congress in a similar way earlier. But he did not get any response to his letter seeking its support, he added.

Later, Gowda said, the party State President H D Kumaraswamy and the Congress had almost reached an understanding under which the JD(S) would contest two seats for the Legislative Council and support the Congress to win two Rajya Sabha seats in return.

“However, the Congress candidate for the Legislative Council polls did not withdraw, resulting in termination of the understanding,” he said. He rubbished speculations that the JD(S) is again getting cosy with the BJP after both parties supporting Mallya.