LS seat-sharing talks with JDS soon: Dinesh Gundu Rao
Bengaluru, Feb 18: The Congress' Karnataka unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao Monday said the party would soon hold discussions with its coalition partner JDS on the Lok Sabha seat-sharing issue.
Rao said he would speak to JDS leaders, including the party supremo and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda after the Congress election committee meeting and fix a date for seat-sharing talks.
"The discussion with our partners JDS over Lok Sabha seat-sharing issue will be held soon," Rao told reporters after the KPCC Coordination Committee meeting here.
The meeting decided to announce Lok Sabha seat-sharing talks with the JDS to avoid needless problems for candidates, Rao said.
"The coordination committee meeting resolved to announce seat-sharing with JDS soon because Lok sabha election takes lot of time to prepare. If it is delayed, it will create problems for our candidates," he added.
The party also decided to take the BJP head on and place before the people of the state saffron party's "corrupt rule at the Centre" and other states, he said.
"The number one corrupt party in India is the BJP. They spend crores of rupees for elections.It also has dodged debate over 'Achche Din' for the last four-and-half years of its rule at the Centre.
They also shy away from debating over jobless growth rate and the economic condition prevailing in the country," he said.
The party also decided to restrain Congress leaders from speaking on issues including seat-sharing and party's relationship with the JDS, which affects their electoral prospects, Rao said.
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Bengal: Over 55 pc turnout till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of 2 assembly seats
Kolkata (PTI): Over 55 per cent turnout was recorded till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of two assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, an official said.
Voting was underway more or less peacefully at 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, where the EC ordered repoll a day ago, following reports of electoral malpractices.
However, at booth number 179 at Chanda Primary School of Diamond Harbour seat, the Trinamool Congress alleged that a specially abled voter and his mother were harassed by central forces. The alleged incident sparked protests by party workers and locals.
The TMC claimed that the voter's mother, who had entered the booth to assist him, and her son were detained for a considerable time by central forces over alleged rule violations.
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"TMC leaders Manmohini Biswas and Pratik Ur Rahman reached the spot and led the protests, with residents terming the action unwarranted harassment. The matter has been taken care of by our officials there," an official of the poll body said.
Polling was otherwise peaceful across 15 booths in the area, he added.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding that till 1 pm, the turnout was 55.57 per cent.
Magrahat Paschim registered 56.33 per cent voter turnout, while in Diamond Harbour, it was 54.9 per cent, a poll official stated.
Voting in these two assembly constituencies was held in the second phase of the state elections on April 29.
The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and "material circumstances", the Election Commission official said.
In Magrahat Paschim, TMC's Md Samim Ahamed Molla is pitted against BJP nominee Goursundar Ghosh, while Abdul Majid Halder of the Congress and ISF candidate Abdul Aziz Al Hassan are also in the fray.
TMC candidate Panna Lal Halder is contesting against Dipak Kumar Halder of the BJP in the Diamond Harbour seat. Goutam Bhattacharya of the Congress and CPI(M)'s Samar Naiya are among other candidates.
The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gupta, to fact-check the allegations from the ground.
The poll panel will decide on repolling in the Falta assembly constituency on Saturday.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held in two phases -- April 23 and April 29 -- amid unprecedented security arrangements.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
