In yet another blow to the Janata Dal (Secular), which has been facing internal rumblings, the former Home Minister P.G.R. Sindhia has been campaigning for the Congress candidates contesting byelections to three Legislative Assembly constituencies and to the local bodies.
On Saturday, Mr. Sindhia, one of the architects of the Janata Parivar, campaigned in favour of the Congress ZP, TP candidates in Ramanagaram and Kanakapura constituencies. Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar accompanied Mr. Sindhia during the poll campaign. Mr. Shivakumar told presspersons here that Mr. Sindhia sought the blessings of the voters for the Congress candidates.
Mr. Sindhia, who held various portfolios in different governments of the Janata Parivar, had remained neutral during the last Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Sindhia said he has not yet decided on joining the Congress. He has asked his followers to support the Congress candidates in the Assembly as well as ZP, TP elections. “I want to strengthen the Siddaramaiah government,” he said.
The former Minister and JD(S) leader had joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in December 2007. Later, he returned to the JD(S).
Mr. Sindhia, who had had a long-running political feud with Mr. Shivakumar, has buried the hatchet seeing that they campaigned together on Saturday. Mr. Sindhia contested as JD(S) candidate from Kanakapura in the 2013 Assembly elections and lost to Mr. Shivakumar by a margin of 31,424 votes.
Janata Dal (Secular) leader Sindhia has not yet decided
on joining the Congress
