Congress, JD(S) leaders yet to bury hatchet in Mysuru segment

MYSURU

: Uneasiness persists in Congress and JD(S) camps ahead of the elections with leaders and party workers still not sure whether to campaign for each other.


It was former chief minister Siddaramaiah who struck a hard bargain with its alliance partner JD(S) for Mysuru parliamentary seat and managed to field a Congress candidate from the segment. Initially, it was believed that JD(S) would demand the Mysuru seat as it has three assembly seats, two more than Congress. Congress has an MLA only in one out of the total eight assembly segments. But Siddaramaiah, the coordination committee chairman, managed to get the seat as he wants to gain control of his home district.

Siddaramaiah lost the assembly election from Chamundeshwari, a part of Mysuru parliamentary seat, to JD(S) candidate GT

Devegowda

, who is now district in-charge minister, in 2018 and since then Siddaramaiah has maintained aloofness from Mysuru. Believing that all is still not lost, the former CM wants to get back Mysuru into his fold.

Congress and JD(S) have shared 21 and 7 seats respectively to contest Lok Sabha election and both have entered into an agreement to support their alliance candidates. Unlike in Hassan and Mandya, where Congress and JD(S) workers have differences only at the grassroots level, here in Mysuru, the leaders who have boosted their egos, are yet to reach on a consensus.

If sources are to believed, Siddaramaiah of Congress and ministers GT Devegowda and SR Mahesh of JD(S) are still maintaining distance from each other. They haven’t met to discuss the strategies against BJP as in Mysuru it will be a straight fight between Congress and BJP. Even at the nomination rally, Siddaramaiah left after inaugurating the rally at north gate of Mysuru palace. Both JD(S) leaders didn’t attend, but SR Mahesh joined CH

Vijayshankar

at deputy commissioner’s office while filing nominations. GT Devegowda was away from Mysuru.

A joint press conference by Congress and JD(S) leaders planned ahead of nomination, was cancelled all of a sudden. Sources claimed that unless Siddaramaiah invites JD(S) leaders to support Vijayshankar, they have decided not to take part. This has created confusion among workers at the grassroots level. Even there are differences between the top JD(S) leaders.

SR Mahesh on Monday told reporters that all is well between JD(S) and Congress leaders and claimed GT Devegowda couldn’t make it to filing nominations because he had a personal work in Kolar. Now, both of them would campaign for Vijayshankar. Admitting that there are differences between workers, Congress leader HC Mahadevappa maintained that both the party workers and leaders have decided to bury the hatchet to keep the BJP out of power and this wouldn’t be an issue.

Whether lack of compatibility between the top leaders of two parties affects the prospects of Vijayshakar is what is being discussed in Mysuru. On the other hand, Vijayshankar, who had met SR Mahesh and awaiting appointment of GT Devegowda, is confident that he would sail through.