Kumaraswamy likely to be announced candidate from Mandya after CEC today

HDK has asked party workers to use photographs of leaders from both parties, besides compulsorily using flags and shawls of both parties, in all public functions

BJP leader Tejasvi Surya meeting former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in Bengaluru on Monday. | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

The Janata Dal (Secular) will announce its candidates for Mandya, Hassan, and Kolar Lok Sabha constituencies after the party’s core committee meeting on Tuesday. While former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy is set to be the party’s candidate for Mandya, a formal announcement is expected after the core committee meeting.

Seat sharing

The party is likely to name Prajwal Revanna, MP and son of former Minister H.D. Revanna, for the Hassan seat, and Mallesh Babu, the party’s defeated candidate from Bangarpet in the Assembly elections held last year, for Kolar constituency. In the seat-sharing agreement with BJP, the JD(S) will contest from three constituencies and the saffron party will contest from 25 seats.

Party sources said that while the leaders from Channapatna, which Mr. Kumaraswamy currently represents in the Assembly, were divided over Mr. Kumaraswamy contesting from Mandya, eventually the former Chief Minister told the gathering on Monday that it was “inevitable” to “take some decisions in the best interest of the party.”

He is learnt to have told the Channapatna leaders that the time had come to protect the party, and that their cooperation was required. He said that “some tough decisions are to be taken for the party’s sake” and party workers should agree to support him. The former Chief Minister also assured that his relationship with Channapatna and Ramanagara will remain intact.

Appeals for coordination

Meanwhile, in an effort to bring synergy between the two allies on the ground, Mr. Kumaraswamy has asked workers and leaders not to create confusion and air misunderstandings, if any, in public. Instead, such misunderstandings can be brought to the notice of the party’s head office to find solutions.

He has asked workers to use photographs of leaders from both parties, besides compulsorily using flags and shawls of both parties in all public functions. Urging the party cadre to highlight the achievements of leaders of both parties, the former Chief Minister, in a communication to leaders, said that photographs have to be used after consultations in the coordination committees at the Assembly level.

BJP leaders contesting elections including Tejasvi Surya (Bengaluru South) and K. Sudhakar (Chikkaballapur) visited Mr. Kumaraswamy. MP Karadi Sanganna, who has been denied ticket this time, also met him.