E-Paper
BJP-JD(S) alliance will help Congress: Siddaramaiah
Like Congress-JD(S) lost 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP-JD(S) coalition in the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections wouldn’t yield favourable outcomes for the alliance partners, the CM said
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal (Secular) alliance in the state would inadvertently favour the Congress in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Reflecting on past alliances, the CM said that the Congress had failed to gain electoral traction in Karnataka during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls when it partnered with the JD(S). Similarly, he anticipated that the BJP-JD(S) coalition in the upcoming 2024 parliamentary elections wouldn’t yield favourable outcomes for the alliance partners, but instead, would tilt the scales in favour of the Congress.
While keeping the specifics on how this alliance dynamic would play out, he said, “Certain aspects are best kept as secrets.”
Confident in the Congress’s prospects, Siddaramaiah said that the party was poised to secure 20 out of the 28 seats in Karnataka. He attributed this optimism to the party’s successful implementation of guarantee schemes in the state.
He said, “We have delivered on our promises. Our five guarantee schemes have been swiftly implemented since assuming power. We have allocated approximately ₹36,000 crore this year and earmarked an additional ₹52,900 crore for the upcoming year for these schemes.”
“The Congress party is relying on its achievements and contributions to society. The people of the state had blessed us last year (during the 2023 assembly polls) and will do so in the coming elections also,” he said.
Taking a swipe at the BJP, Siddaramaiah accused the party of misleading the public. He criticised the BJP’s failure to fulfil its pre-election promises, citing unmet commitments such as depositing ₹15 lakh into each citizen’s account and doubling farmers’ income. “Why should people trust Narendra Modi?” he said.
On the questions about ticket distribution, especially on the party giving tickets to five children of ministers and two related to senior Congress leaders. Siddaramaiah dismissed accusations of dynastic politics within the Congress.
The candidate list included Sowmya Reddy, daughter of transport minister Ramalinga Reddy, contesting from Bangalore South; Priyanka Jarkiholi, daughter of public works minister Satish Jarkiholi, for Chikkodi; Mrinal, son of women and child development minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, competing in Belagavi; Samyukta S Patil, daughter of agricultural marketing minister Shivanand Patil, standing in Bagalkot; and Sagar Khandre, son of forest minister Eshwar Khandre, contending in Bidar.
Similarly in Gulbarga seat, a significant bastion for the All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge, sees Radhakrishna Doddamani, son-in-law of AICC president Kharge, as the designated candidate. In Davangere, the party nominates Prabha Mallikarjun, daughter-in-law of senior MLA Shamanur Shivashankarappa, the leader of the Veershaiva Mahasabha. Her husband, SS Mallikarjun, serves as the mines and geology minister.
“Yes, we have given. We gave tickets to those whom the people of the constituency recommended. This is not dynastic politics but acknowledging people’s opinion,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
As the Congress prepares to unveil its nominees for the remaining constituencies, Siddaramaiah assured reporters that the party was resolute in its approach, affirming that all 28 constituencies were deemed equally significant in the electoral battle.
The next list of the Congress party with its nominees for the four remaining constituencies is likely to be announced on Monday or Tuesday. He denied that the party was facing a dilemma in any of the constituencies where the tickets were yet to be announced.
To another question, if the party considered Mysuru and Chamarajanagar prestigious constituencies, he said the party would be taking the electoral contest in all 28 constituencies seriously. “All the constituencies are prestigious,” he said.
