Coordination Committee of Congress Allies in Karnataka, Said D.K. Shivakumar
Bengaluru: Considering that every vote would be a decisive factor in deciding the outcome of the election results in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, it has been decided to form a coordination committee by the Congress party involving leaders of allies comprising Aam Aadmi Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Nationalist Congress Party, CPI (ML) among others would be constituted which will meet once in three-days or a week to take note of the conduct of campaigning for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls, said President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
Shivakumar told a press conference in Bengaluru that allies of Congress party have given in writing extending their support to Congress nominees in 28 seats of Karnataka and stated that various survey reports have indicated that Congress would win in 28 seats while the Congress party in its assessment would emerge victorious in 20 seats.
To a query on the role of allies of Congress in the outcome of results, Shivakumar pointed out at the Tumakuru Lok Sabha poll of 2019 in which former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda who contested as Janata Dal Secular and Congress party consensus nominee was defeated by BJP’s G.S. Basavaraj by a margin of 12,000 votes. In the same seat, he said, Communist Party of India nominee got about 17,000 votes which resulted in the defeat of Devegowda.
“We want to ensure that there is no division of votes and the aim is to defeat National Democratic Alliance nominees,” said the KPCC Chief. He also pointed out the lowest margin defeats of nominees in various Assembly polls in Karnataka such as one vote win by Congress nominee Dhruvanarayan in Santhemarahalli seat in 2004 election and Minister for Health and Family Welfare Services Dinesh Gundu Rao won by a slender margin in Gandhi Nagar Assembly seat in 2023 Assembly polls and also the defeat of Congress nominee Sowmya Reddy in Jayanagar Assembly seat by a narrow margin of 16 votes also in 2023 Assembly polls.
Earlier, the allies of the Congress party held a meeting in Bengaluru city. AAP leaders-Mukyamantari Chandru and Pruthvi Reddy, CPI (M) General Secretary Basavaraju, NCP State Unit President C..S. Inamdar, Rashtriya Janata Dal State Unit President Yacob Gulwadi among others attended.
