Will not be rigid in demand to contest from 12 seats; Deve Gowda
Bengaluru: Indicating that he was agreeable to showing some flexibility in seat sharing talks for the coming Lok Sabha polls with ruling coalition partner Congress, JD(S) supremo Deve Gowda Sunday said his party would not be 'rigid' in its demand to contest from 12 of the total of 28 seats.
Gowda said he had also asked the Congress to have a similar mentality during the seat sharing discussions as there should not be any room for differences on seat sharing between the parties, whose main aim was to halt the BJP's growth.
"I have said 12 seats should be given to us, but I will also not be rigid in saying that they should give us 12," the former Prime Minister said.
Speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, he said, "By loosening our stand a bit... a final decision should be arrived at.
You (Congress) should also have that mentality, I have said. Finally we will come to a decision cordially."
Gowda said he was stating this to bring to an end all speculation and talk that differences may emerge within the coalition during discussions on seat sharing.
The JD(S) leader said he would not be 'adamant' in his demand for seats as the main focus was to halt the BJP's progress and nothing should cause a threat to the alliance.
Congress and JD(S) leaders are likely to discuss seat sharing for the coming Lok Sabha polls at the coalition coordination committee meeting on Monday.
The coalition partners had held the first round of talks on seat sharing on February 25, during which Congress insisted that winnability would be the criteria, while the JD(S) maintained its stand to contest 12 seats.
As per their coalition agreement, both Congress and JD(S) have decided to fight the Lok Sabha polls together.
However, seat sharing is likely to be a major test for both parties as the JD(S), which is banking on two-third, one-third formula adopted in ministry formation and allocation of boards and corporations, has demanded 12 seats out of the total of 28 seats.
According to sources, JD(S) is said to be keen on contesting from Mandya, Hassan, Bangalore North, Mysuru, Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Raichur, Bidar, Bijapur, Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
