Bengaluru: Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka, seat sharing between the Congress and JD(S) is expected to be a litmus test for both the parties, and coalition leaders are likely to discuss about it during the first week of February.
“In the cabinet, in the board corporation nominations there will be one-third for JDS, two-third for Congress, according to our strength in the assembly. So the same formula will be the basis of the discussion for seat-sharing for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections,” said JD(S) secretary-general Danish Ali on Tuesday.
Even though the preliminary discussions over seat sharing were already held during the recent coordination committee meeting, more rounds will be take place before the party comes out with a conclusion.
How many seats and which party will contest from where are yet to be discussed, said Danish Ali. He said the JDS is, however, clear on having an alliance to defeat the BJP.
Earlier, the JDS had wished desire to contest in 10-12 seats to which the Congress had shown some reservation as it wanted the seat sharing to be based on merit.
According to reports, Veerappa Moily and several other senior Congress leaders had asked the leadership not to give up nine seats to JD(S), where the party has its sitting MPs.
Speaking about Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy’s remarks about stepping down, Ali said that the after adverse comments were made by a Congress MLA, the Congress leadership has asked its members not to indulge in such activities hereafter.
He also assured that the government under Kumaraswamy is going to last its full five year term
“We will try our best to ensure that such things do not happen again and the government functions smoothly and we should not provide any opportunity for our political opponents,” he said.
Ali further stated, “In Karnataka, we are with Congress, in Kerala we are with the Left front. So we have to be very cautions, we are deliberating what political line we have to take in the coming elections, what all happened in the past few years and how can JD(S) play its role in bringing down the communal forces in the country.”
Praising the leadership of H D Deve Gowda, Ali said the JDS has always played a key role in bringing together secular forces in the country. The party’s policy is whichever political party was strong in a particular state that party should take the lead and other parties must cooperate.