David Simeon, former working president of the State unit of the Janata Dal (Secular), joined the Congress in the presence of KPCC president G. Parameshwara here on Saturday.
The former councillor from J.C. Nagar Syed Jameel Ahmed and 25 other JD(S) workers also shifted their loyalty to the Congress along with Mr. Simeon. Dr. Parameshwara said, “We are confident of winning at least 20 seats in the State.” He told presspersons that Housing Minister M.H. Ambareesh’s return after treatment in Singapore had further strengthened the party. There were no differences among members of the Mandya Congress unit, he claimed. “All leaders of the party, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Mr. Ambareesh, will participate in a rally in Mandya on April 14,” he said.
KPCC Mahila Congress president Manjula Naidu urged the Election Commission to reject the nomination of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi for having concealed information about his marital status during the previous elections. She said she would write to the EC on the issue.
