H.M. Chandrashekharappa, former MLA and senior Congress leader, has blamed the pre-poll alliance with Janata Dal (Secular) for the poor performance of his party in the Lok Sabha election in Karnataka.
“Many parliamentary seats including Shivamogga, where the Congress had a strong base and had bright chances of winning, were ceded to JD(S). The Congress leadership took unilateral decision in this regard and the workers serving the party at the grassroot level were not consulted,” he said at a press conference here on Monday.
Mr. Chandrashekharappa said that senior leaders including former legislators and former members of panchayat raj bodies were not taken into confidence during the campaigning.
“Forging an alliance when a hung Assembly is thrown is understandable but there was no need to enter into a pre-poll alliance. Had the Congress fought the election on its own and had fielded its candidates in all 28 seats in Karnataka, it would have won more number of seats,” he said.
Alleging that the Congress leadership had failed to provide proper representation for Lingayats in recent times, he said that the party should gain the confidence of this numerically strong community to strengthen its base in Karnataka in the coming days.
