Congress, JD(S) will fight LS elections together in Karnataka: DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Jan 6: Senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar Sunday said his party will fight the national polls in alliance with the JD(S) across all seats of Karnataka.
Shivakumar, who is also a minister, said discussions on seat sharing will be held soon.
"I'm saying that we, Congress and JD(S), will fight together in all 28 seats," he told reporters.
Asked on JD(S)'s demand for 12 seats, Shivakumar said, "I'm not spokesperson of JD(S). Is it wrong to have a desire? Politically they will have to give a message of confidence and courage to their party workers and seek their support in winning."
Seat sharing has emerged as a bone of contention between the two parties, however, leaders of both the parties have exuded confidence in fighting the polls together.
Unhappy over the the Congress' "big brother attitude", JD(S) members recently asked its leadership to contest all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state alone.
However, JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda has clarified that his party will fight the polls in alliance with the Congress and demanded 12 seats.
Indicating reservations about the JD(S)'s demand for 12 seats, state Congress Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao has said seat sharing between the ruling coalition partners will be based on merit.
Meanwhile, on reports of few Congress legislators setting Monday deadline over delay in appointments to boards and corporations, Shivakumar said nothing of that sort has happened.
He also cited new moon day and eclipse, considered inauspicious, as the reason for the delay.
"No one has set any deadline, it is false. Congress party has given the list. Dinesh Gundu Rao gave it to me and I have handed it over to Kumaraswamy. We belong to Hindu culture and there are certain things, today is new moon day and also eclipse, let everything finish. No one can set any deadline," he said.
"Both parties have decided on what has to be done. They (JD(S)) too have certain responsibilities, the chief minister has spoke to me. When it has to happen, it will happen," he added.
Pointing out that the chief minister was out of town, Shivakumar said, "They have to decide on their party as well. They recently called a meeting of their party workers. It will be done and there is no reason to worry."
Recently, Deve Gowda said appointments to all 30 boards and corporations will be done at one go.
Congress forwarded its list of 19 legislators to the chief minister, but according to sources, the move has irked the JD(S) leadership as they were apparently not consulted.
Also, Congress recommending some of its legislators as heads of boards and corporations that come under departments controlled by JD(S) ministers has angered the party, leading to the chief minister delaying the appointment.
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.
Misuse of power, money to control election mechanism seen during Maharashtra polls: Sharad Pawar
Pune (PTI): NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday claimed the misuse of power and money to control the entire election mechanism, which was never before seen in any state assembly or national polls, was witnessed in Maharashtra.
Pawar made the statement when he visited senior activist Dr Baba Adhav, who is protesting against the alleged "misuse of EVMs" in the recent state polls in Maharashtra.
Adhav, who is in his 90s, began his three-day protest at Phule Wada, the residence of social reformer Jyotiba Phule, in the city on Thursday.
The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, the Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP), have been alleging manipulation of EVMs in the recently held Maharashtra Assembly elections, which saw a landslide victory by the Mahayuti.
The Mahayuti, comprising the Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP, won 230 out of 288 assembly seats in the November 20 polls, while the MVA managed just 46 seats.Talking to reporters, Pawar said elections were conducted recently in the country, and there is a restlessness among the people about these.
Baba Adhav's agitation represents this restlessness, he said.
He said, "There is a murmur among the people that the recent polls in Maharashtra saw 'misuse of power' and 'floods of money', which was never seen in the past. Such things are heard of in local-level polls, but taking over the entire election mechanism with the help of money and misuse of power was not seen before. However, we witnessed it in Maharashtra, and people are restless now."
He added that people were recalling late socialist ideologue Jaiprakash Narayan and felt somebody should take a step forward.
"I heard Baba Adhav has taken a lead into this issue and is agitating at Phule Wada. His protest gives hope to the people, but it is not enough. A mass revolt is necessary, as the danger of the parliamentary democracy getting destroyed looms," Pawar said.
The former Union minister said those who have reins of the country in their hands are least bothered about this.
"Despite widespread discussion over it (alleged misuse of EVMs) in the country, whenever the opposition tries to raise the issue in the Parliament, they are not allowed to speak. Opposition leaders have been seeking an opportunity to speak on these issues for six days, but their demands have not been accepted even once. It shows they want to attack parliamentary democracy," he claimed.
He said Dr Adhav's protest is a fine example of someone revolting against the issue and expressed confidence that his protest will create a ripple effect.
