The Janata Dal (Secular) will organise a series of conventions over the next few months, attracting targeted segments across the State in its effort to mobilise its cadre ahead of the elections to the State's legislative assembly, which is due early next year. Farmers, women, minorities, the other backward classes, scheduled castes and youth will be brought together at these conventions to discuss issues pertaining to each of the segments separately.
“These regional conventions will be held every month and will try to address the issues that are affecting them,” former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told presspersons after the party's core committee meeting here on Thursday. The meeting, presided over by the party's national president and former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda, was also attended by party legislators and some senior leaders, including former minister A.H. Vishwanath, who quit Congress and joined JD(S) on Tuesday.
Mr. Kumaraswamy said that while the convention of minorities will be held in Raichur region, the farmers' convention will be held in Vijayapura considering a large population of farmers around the region. “The convention for OBCs will be held in Mysuru, and the womens' convention will be held in Bengaluru city. A mammoth convention of youth will be held at a place between Hubballi and Haveri.” Party's youth wing president Madhu Bangarappa will start touring districts from tomorrow and he will start his tour from Yadgir, he added.
According to him, the core committee also discussed issues to be included in the party's manifesto in the coming elections, but the committee decided not to make the contents public fearing “hijacking” of the issues by other parties.
The party also plans to hold a peace march in Dakshina Kannada in the next week to bring harmony in Bantwal and Mangaluru city. Mr. Kumaraswamy said that several incidents that have harmed communal harmony in the district have been reported in Bantwal and Mangaluru city, and a padayatra will be taken to spread the message of peace and harmony.
List of candidate kept secret
The list of party candidates to be fielded in the next assembly elections will not be announced any time soon. Mr. Devegowda and Mr. Kumaraswamy said that the list will not be released immediately since they fear poaching of candidates by other parties, which are not getting good candidates in some constituencies.
Mr. Kumaraswamy, in the past, had said that he had handed over the list containing names of 150 candidates and had sought clearance from Mr. Devegowda. “I have suggested not to release the names immediately. We have seen Operation Kamala in the past. We lost seven to eight leaders then.” Mr. Gowda said, adding that candidates have been working well and their names will be announced later.
