Cong-JDS to launch joint campaign for LS polls with mega rally on Sunday
Bengaluru, Mar 30: The ruling alliance in Karnataka will launch their joint Lok Sabha polls campaign Sunday with Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda addressing a mega rally on the outskirts of the city.
Titled 'Parivartana Samavesha', this will be the first rally jointly organised by the Congress and JD(S) after the combine came to power.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who visited BIEC ground near Nelamangala to inspect the arrangements being made, said the event would be "historic."
"This will be the first joint campaign by Congress and JD(S)...tomorrow's meeting is historic as it will send a clear message to the people of the country from Karnataka for Lok Sabha polls," Kumaraswamy told reporters here.
Congress and JD(S) ministers, MLAs and leaders will be part of the event.
Sunday evening's rally will also be attended by lakhs of workers of both parties from Tumkur, Ramanagara, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru urban districts, Congress and JDS sources said.
Following this, state leaders of both parties would organise similar joint meetings at several places across Karnataka, they said.
According to seat sharing arrangements, the Congress and JD(S) have decided to contest in 21 and 7 seats respectively.
For the coalition to emerge as a formidable opposition to BJP and win more number of seats, it is crucial for the Congress to transfer its votes to the JD(S) and vice-versa.
However, dissidence over seat sharing among workers of both parties, who have been arch rivals for decades, has caused worry to coalition leaders.
According to the sources, organising the joint campaign is aimed at addressing this disgruntlement and send out a message that both the alliance partners are together.
Both parties that had fought against each other ahead of May 2018 assembly polls joined hands to form an alliance as the election threw up a hung verdict.
Karnataka will go to the polls in two phases, 14 constituencies each, on April 18 and 23.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
