Criticising Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for saying the Janata Dal (Secular) would not win more than 25 seats in the coming Assembly elections, JD(S) State president H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said, “Don’t be surprised if the Congress’ tally is reduced to 25.”
At a press conference here, Mr. Kumaraswamy said when the Congress went to the polls during Veerappa Moily’s tenure, the party won only 39 seats. Then, the H.D. Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal had come to power. “The same situation will repeat this time,” he said.
He said that by making such statements, Mr. Siddaramaiah was trying to divert people’s attention.
He said his party would definitely win 113 seats in the Assembly elections, and later he would work hard to ensure the JD(S) wins at least 25 seats in next year’s Lok Sabha elections, so that the State’s voice is heard at the national level. Mr. Kumaraswamy maintained that his party would win in Chamundeshwari constituency, from where Mr. Siddaramaiah is contesting. In the 2006 byelection, Mr. Siddaramaiah won from that constituency by 257 votes. “He won because of Peter, an election observer deputed to the constituency by Sonia Gandhi,” the JD(S) leader said.
Cash claim
He also alleged that the Chief Minister had instituted retired IPS officer Kempaiah as an adviser to the Home Department as his services were required to “transport cash” during the elections. Mr. Kempaiah did the same during the 2013 elections, he said, alleging large-scale malpractice by Congress leaders while officials remained mute spectators. “During a recent JD(S) rally at Koratagere, I came to know that KPCC president G. Parameshwara distributed cash in every village to prevent people from participating in my rally. I wonder how the officers did not notice this there,” he said.
He reiterated that only two people from his family — he and his brother Revanna — would contest in the elections this time. “I have taken this tough decision so that opposition parties don’t call ours a party of father and sons,” he said.
