Bengaluru, Oct 10: Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), the coalition government partners in Karnataka, have resolved to hold joint campaigns ahead of the byelections to two Assembly and three Lok Sabha constituencies in the state.
Speaking to presspersons after a meeting with JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda on Tuesday, the former Chief Siddaramaiah, and AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka K.C. Venugopal said they would not only field consensus candidates but also campaign together.
Mr. Venugopal said it would “send a clear message to the country on the unity of secular forces” ahead of the general elections next year.
The Congress will fight in Bellary and Shimoga Lok Sabha constituencies and the JDS in Mandya, its traditional stronghold in the Vokkaliga belt in old Mysuru region.
For the assembly bypolls, the Congress will contest from Jamakhandi and the JDS from Ramanagara, which Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had won but gave up after retaining Channapatna, the other segment bagged by him in the assembly elections.
The Election Commission on Saturday announced the bypolls to Shimoga, Bellary and Mandya Lok Sabha constituencies, and to Ramanagara and Jamkhandi assembly segments. Counting of votes will be on November 6.
Bypolls were necessitated after BJP's BS Yeddyurappa (Shimoga) and B Sriramalu (Bellary), and CS Puttaraju of JDS (Mandya) resigned as parliamentarians on their election to the assembly in May this year.
Bypolls to Jamkhandi assembly seat was caused by the death of Congress legislator Siddu Nyamagouda, while Ramanagara fell vacant after Mr Kumaraswamy gave up the seat preferring Chennapatna.
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