Congress ‘invite’ sparks dissidence threat; JD(S) goes into a huddle

BENGALURU: An invite sent to ‘like-minded’ Congress legislators to attend a closed door meeting on Tuesday has set off speculation that dissidence within Congress will intensify after the results of Lok Sabha elections are announced on May 23.
In JD(S) camp, party supremo HD Deve Gowda and chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Sunday held a brainstorming session with their MLAs, discussing post-poll scenario and strategies, besides seeking to keep the flock together.
The Congress invitation has reportedly been sent by BDA chief and Yeshwantpur MLA ST Somashekar to 20 MLAs and a few MLCs loyal to Siddaramaiah. Congress MLC Raghu Achar, after receiving the invite, asked Somashekar to desist from such activities. But KPCC chief Dinesh Gundurao said the meeting may have been called to strengthen the party.