2019 polls: 2 MPs in hand, JD(S) to seek 12 of 28 LS seats in Karnataka from Congress

Bengaluru, Dec 29: Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda today said that his party will seek 12 Lok Sabha seats from Congress in Karnataka in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha election JD(S) had won only two seats (Hassan and Mandya) of the total 28 seats it had contested. However the party came close second in three to four other seats. BJP and Congress had won 17 and 9 seats respectively in last polls.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Gowda said that his party will seek a minimum 12 Lok Sabha seats and will hold talk with the AICC President Rahul Gandhi in this regard in the middle of next month.

Expressing confidence that there will not be any hitches in drafting out the seat sharing with the Congress, he hinted that his grandson Prajwal Revanna may contest from Hassan Lok Sabha seat. “Prajwal is involved in mobilizing the party workers for the last eight years” Gowda added.

Stating that the Election Commission may announce General elections in February last or first week of March, Mr Gowda opined that “if JD(S) and Congress fight the elections jointly it can win more number of seats for the combination”.

“We have already started the preparations for the elections and working strategies to maintain our party’s identity. We are also assessing our strengths where we can bargain for the allotment of seats” he added.

Referring to change of Home portfolio of the Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara, he said that “It is the decision of the Congress leaders and we have no say in it”.

Stating that nominations to various Boards and Corporations will be done along with finalising the names for remaining 2 seats in the Cabinet, he said that “due to preparation for the General elections we are yet to finalise two cabinet berths from the JD(S) quota”.

“As part of election preparations a Conference of all the sitting and defeated party MLAs is being organized on January 3 in Bengaluru and will take stock of the political situation prevailing in the State” Mr Gowda said.