Karnataka Seat Share: JD(S) Clinched 10 out of 28, Says Deve Gowda

The decision on constituency allocation is yet to be made.

Deve Gowda meeting Rahul Gandhi. 

Photo: ANI

A clearer picture of the seat sharing between the Congress and the JD(S) for the upcoming General Elections is emerging, with JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda announcing his party has “clinched 10 seats” out of the 28 seats in Karnataka.

He was addressing the media after the seat sharing meeting with AICC president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, on Wednesday, 6 March. A seat sharing meeting between the state level leaders of both parties held in Bengaluru on Monday, 4 March, had ended inconclusively.

However, both parties have reached an agreement in the meeting held in New Delhi, said sources.

“Earlier I had demanded 12 seats. Today, ultimately, I have clinched 10 seats, before the (Congress) national president Rahul Gandhi, and in the presence of his party general secretary Venugopal.”

HD Deve Gowda

He further added that the decision on which constituencies will go to whom, will be taken based on further discussions.

“On my side, Mr Danish Ali, who is the secretary general of my party (will hold discussions with Congress)... Ultimately, they will discuss and finally they will decide on the issue of constituencies.”

HD Deve Gowda 

The JD(S) had initially demanded 12 tickets in the Lok Sabha elections, but said they were flexible on their demand. The party, however, had insisted that a 2:1 ration system – which was used for distributing Cabinet portfolios in the coalition government – should be followed in seat sharing as well.

A day before Deve Gowda was to meet Rahul Gandhi, as a gesture of cooperation, state Congress leaders had announced that they will support HD Kumaraswamy’s son Nikhil Gowda’s candidature from Mandya district.