Hubballi: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president Dinesh Gundurao has said that the final picture on seat sharing with the JD(S) will emerge in three or four days as the coalition’s coordination committee is meeting in Bengaluru on Monday.
Addressing presspersons in Vijayapura on Sunday before attending a convention of the Banjara community, he said that the leaders of Congress and JD(S) will be meeting to sort out pending issues and announce a seat sharing formula. He claimed that the Congress and JD(S) will not have a problem in reaching a consensus on seat sharing in constituencies where both parties already have sitting MPs.
"We are focussing more on seat sharing in places where no MP of both parties has won. A total of 16 seats are with the BJP. We are making plans to find suitable candidates in these seats", he said.
About the Mandya seat where actress Sumalatha has expressed her desire to contest, Gundurao said that since the JD(S) has its MP in Mandya, naturally, the party would stake claim.
"Sumalatha is indeed free to seek a ticket from the Congress, even the Congress will support her, but since the seat is already with the JD(S), our decision on supporting her will arise only if the JD(S) leaves the seat to the Congress. None the less, the meeting will provide clarity on this too", he said.
Responding to reports of many women members of the Congress demanding tickets, Gundurao said that the party will try to offer tickets to as many women as possible. "I cannot assure anything at this stage but we are in favour of giving tickets to women members. If the ruling BJP had cleared the women’s reservation bill, then today 33% women would have got a chance to contest in the Lok Sabha polls", he said.
About reports of Congress MLA Umesh Jadhav planning to quit the party and join the BJP, he made it clear that the party has not done any injustice to him adding that the Congress will not force him to stay back if he wants to quit.
On some people reportedly demanding proof from the BJP government about the death of militants in the air strike conducted by the Indian Air Force on military camps in Pakistan, Mr Gundurao said that even the international media has raised some questions.
"I am not saying that the Central government should give the proof, but at least to silence the voices being raised even by the international media, the NDA government should do something", the KPCC chief said.
