In a significant political development, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda has said there will be no truck with the coalition partner Congress in the ensuing local body elections.
However he ruled out any differences with the Congress and said “this will no way affect the coalition with the Congress”. Addressing the media in Bengaluru on Sunday after appointing a new State president he said,“ We have no quarrel or differences with our coalition partner Congress. We are going to contest on our own in the ensuing local body elections. I have discussed this with the Congress leaders and there is no room for conflicts in this.” “However, we are going to contest 2019 elections together,” he added.
The State Election Commission announced that the elections to 105 urban local bodies will be held on August 29 and it is politically significant ahead of 2019 general elections.
In 2013, local body elections Congress swept and came to power under Siddaramaiah in the assembly polls. This time around, though, the polls will be held over two phases, as the term of 102 of the 207 Urban local Bodies (UlBs) is yet to near completion.
A total of 2,574 wards or seats will be up for grabs, and a majority of them are located in the northern regions of the state. As many as 70 of the 105 UlBs are in northern Karnataka, where protests are on to press the demand for a separate state. Chief Minister Kumaraswamy is facing the heat for a separate State for north Karnataka and at present Chief Minister has pacified them with dangling carrots. But the opposition BJP which has emerged as the single largest party with 104 seats is looking at capitalising these issues and garner local bodies to fight the Congress – JD(S) coalition in the ensuing general elections. The local body elections normally are indicators of the mood of the people.
Meanwhile Hunsuru MlA and senior JD(S) leader AH Vishwanath was named as the party’s state president on Sunday. He replaces Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy as state president of the party and senior party leaders claimed that the decision was taken to relieve the CM from additional burden and allow him to focus on his role as CM. The decision was taken at a party meeting at JP Bhavan in Bengaluru. Kumaraswamy has been president of the party since 2008.
The revamp in the JD(S) camp comes ahead of the party’s preparations for the lok Sabha elections in 2019. The party has already announced it will fight the elections as an ally of the Congress in the state.
Sources in the JD(S) claimed that Vishwanath’s elevation to the role of state party president will help the party in the smooth functioning of the coalition Government ruling in the State, especially in the wake of alleged hurdles thrown up by former CM Siddaramaiah.