Congress may once again have tie up with JD-S: G Parameshwara
Bengaluru, Nov 29: Senior Congress leader G Parameshwara on Friday hinted at the possibility of his party once again having an alliance with JD(S) if the ruling BJP failed to garner the required number of seats in the December 5 bypolls to remain in a majority.
His remark comes days after the regional party patriarch H D Deve Gowda's cryptic remark in this regard sparked speculation.
"After the bypolls, as we feel- if people don't elect the disqualified legislators, naturally BJP will lose majority and the government will fall.
In such a situation both our parties (Congress and JDS) can form a government or President's Rule may be imposed and then mid-term polls may be announced, Parameshwara told reporters in Tumkur.
To a question on Deve Gowda's comments, he said there may be a possibility of Congress and JD(S) forming the government once again. "This is what we have to understand from his statement."
"Two parties will have to form a government. Either JD(S) and BJP should form a government or JD(S) and Congress like in the past will have to form one, he added.
Parameshwara, who is a former state Congress President, had functioned as the Deputy Chief Minister in the Congress- JD(S) coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy.
Gowda in a cryptic remark made in the context of the by-polls had recently said Congress President Sonia Gandhi's decision after the election should be watched out for, leading to speculation about the possible coming together of the two parties once again,if the situation arose.
Gowdas son Kumaraswamy too had said there would be a stable government in the state after the bypolls, but not necessarily that of BJP.
"Lets see what happens on December 9 (bypolls results date)," he had said.
The ruling BJP needs to win at least six seats in the bypolls to 15 constituencies to remain in a majority in the 224-member assembly, which would still have two vacant seats-- Maski and R R Nagar.
The Congress and JD(S),who had run a coalition government for 14 months and contested Lok Sabha polls in alliance, have parted ways after the collapse of the Kumaraswamy ministry in July, following the rebellion by 17 MLAs, and are contesting the bypolls independently.
However, in what is perceived as JD(S)' softening stand on the BJP, Gowda--not wanting mid-term polls -- had earlier said he wants the Yediyurappa-led government to complete its term as it would give him time to build his party.
JD(S) had also run a coalition government with BJP in 2006 and under a rotational chief ministership arrangement, Kumaraswamy had helmed the state for 20 months, before it collapsed.
Among 15 constituencies going to the bypolls, 12 were held by Congress and three by JD(S),whose coalition government collapsed due to rebellion by the disqualified MLAs.
With winning a majority of seats being crucial for the government's survival, BJP has fielded 13 of the 16 disqualified legislators who joined the party as its candidates from their respective constituencies.
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Fully confident of winning bypolls to 2 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah
Davangere (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday asserted that he was one hundred per cent confident that Congress will win by-polls to two Assembly Constituencies in the state, claiming the BJP will face defeat, similar to what they experienced in earlier byelections.
He also played down the disgruntlement among the other ticket aspirants in the Congress, saying that everyone will be convinced and come together to ensure the party's victory.
Bypolls for the Bagalkot and Davanagere South Assembly constituencies will be held on April 9. The polls were necessitated following the deaths of senior Congress MLAs H Y Meti and Shamanur Shivashankarappa, respectively.
"I'm one hundred per cent confident that we will win both seats. BJP may claim that they will win, but where have they won? They had made similar claims in the previous bypolls, didn't we defeat sons of former CMs Basavaraj Bommai and H D Kumaraswamy?" Siddaramaiah asked in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters here, he said the BJP may claim things, but the Congress government has fulfilled its promises and walked the talk by implementing five guarantee schemes.
"People of the state are in our (Congress) favour. We have proved it in the previous byelections. People, including Dalits, backward class people, poor, farmers and minorities -- all of them are with us," he added.
When questioned about claims by some BJP leaders that the bypoll results would indicate the outcome of the 2028 Assembly polls in the state, the CM asked, "When they won't win, what indicator is that?"
"We are in power, we won three by-elections earlier, and I'm confident that we will win these by-elections too," he added.
Congress in November 2024 had swept the by-polls to three Assembly constituencies -- Sandur, Shiggaon and Channapatna.
Responding to a question, Siddaramaiah claimed that the BJP will face defeat in all four states -- Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and the union territory of Puducherry -- which are going for polls.
After several rounds of discussion amid stiff competition for the party tickets, Congress on Sunday announced Umesh Meti and Samarth Mallikarjun as the party candidates for Assembly by-polls to Bagalkot and Davangere South assembly constituencies, respectively.
The Congress gave tickets to family members of the late legislators in both constituencies. While Umesh Meti is the son of H Y Meti, Samarth Mallikarjun is the grandson of Shamanur Shivashankarappa.
Expressing confidence that the disgruntlement within the party, following candidate selection, especially in the Davangere South constituency, will be resolved, the CM said, adding that the candidate selection was a unanimous decision by the party.
Pointing out that ticket aspirant Sadiq Pailwan has announced he will contest as a rebel in Davangere South, he said, "We will try and convince him."
When asked whether Muslims would be compensated, Siddaramaiah said, "Nothing has been discussed, but we will try to give representation to minorities."
There was a strong demand from Muslims for the Davangere South ticket, as the community has a significant presence in the constituency. Some factions within Congress had opposed giving the ticket to the Shamanur family.
