Cong, JD(S) begin talks on alliance for LS polls
Bengaluru, Feb 25: Karnataka's ruling coalition partners, the Congress and the JD(S), Monday began the first round of discussions on seat-sharing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The two allies, who had formed the government after striking a post-poll alliance after the May assembly elections threw up a hung verdict, have decided to fight the parliamentary polls together under a coalition arrangement.
Congress state president Dinesh Gundu Rao and deputy chief minister G Parameshwara and public works minister H D Revanna and Janata Dal (Secular) state president Adagur H Vishwanath met and discussed the alliance issue.
The two parties did not reveal the outcome of the meeting. However, Rao termed it fruitful while the Congress insisted that "winnability" would be the criteria while finalising the seat sharing formula.
Later speaking to reporters, Rao said, "We had a very good discussion. It was in accordance with former prime minister H D Deve Gowda's wish, who had asked us to start the first phase of discussion."
Discussions took place for all the 28 seats, Rao said, adding that the candidates will be selected on merit basis.
"We have to decide based on the highest possibility of a candidate to win the election. We decided that the candidates will be decided based on the merits. So, it's a very good decision," Rao said.
He said in the next few days a coordination committee meeting will take place involving former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Parameshwara, AICC general secretary and Karnataka incharge, K C Venugopal and chief minister H D Kumaraswamy and JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali.
He said the sole target of the two parties was to keep the "communal forces" away and prepare an action plan to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Rao also said the two parties will submit the outcome of the discussion before the coordination committee which will take the decision.
Earlier, Siddaramaiah tweeted, "Winnability of the candidates will be the only yardstick to decide seat-sharing agreement & we are hopeful that the outcomes of the meetings shall satisfy both the parties."
"There is hope that there will be agreement on seat sharing... no ratio, who will win from where is important," Siddaramaiah, who is also the head of Congress-JD(S) coordination committee told reporters in Hubballi.
Seat sharing is likely to be a major test for both parties as the JD(S), banking on two-third, one-third formula adopted in ministry formation and allocation of boards and corporations, has demanded 10 to 12 seats out of the total 28.
The Congress is opposed to this, maintaining that sharing of seats will be based on "merit".
Also, there is pressure from within the Congress not to cede too many seats to JD(S), especially the ten seats where the party has sitting MPs.
Sharing of seats from old Mysuru region is expected to be an acid test for both the parties, as the JD(S) considers it as its bastion, and the Congress has its sitting members from most of the seats there.
The Vokkaliga bastion of Mandya will be another bone of contention between the coalition partners as JD(S) plans to field Kumaraswamy's son Nikhil from the seat that it currently holds, while there is growing pressure within the Congress to field Sumalatha Ambareesh, wife of late actor-turned-politician M H Ambareesh from there.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
