A section of leaders at the parliamentary constituency level have reportedly expressed their views against an alliance between the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in the Old Mysore region.
State Congress leaders held a daylong parliamentary constituency-wise meeting on Friday for preparing a strategy and identifying candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. Sources in the party said many leaders expressed their opinion against an alliance between the Congress and JD(S) in the Old Mysore region. In the 2014 elections, the Congress had won five Lok Sabha seats in the region while the JD(S) had won two seats (Hassan and Mandya).
Prominent leaders from the parliamentary constituencies of Udupi–Chikkamagaluru, Mangaluru, Shivamogga, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru Central, and Mandya held discussions with AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka K.C. Venugopal, Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao, and KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre.
Mr. Venugopal reportedly told the leaders to be active in their respective parliamentary constituency and interact with voters to ensure the victory of the candidates in the next elections.
The leaders discussed the party’s strength in each constituency and the pros and cons of suitable candidates. The leaders were also told to use the upcoming elections to urban local bodies as a platform for assessing the strength of the party in urban constituencies, sources said.
Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Venugopal will attend the Central Working Committee meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.
