Karnataka: Elated over bypoll results, Congress-JDS say they will contest 2019 Lok Sabha elections together

Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Congress state president Dinesh Gundu Rao gave credit for the electoral success to the policies of the Congress-JDS coalition.

Congress leader DK Shivakumar (R) with JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy. PTI

NEW DELHI: After securing thumping victories over the BJP in Karnataka bypolls, the Congress and the JDS on Tuesday announced that they would contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections together against the saffron party. Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and Congress state president Dinesh Gundu Rao gave credit for the electoral success to the policies of the Congress-JDS coalition. The alliance won two Lok Sabha seats and two assembly segments in the by-elections held on Saturday. "We will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections together. As we did this time, we will sit together to chalk out strategies to fight the Lok Sabha election in a coordinated manner," PTI quoted Kumaraswamy as saying. "We took many pro-people measures which are at the stage of implementation. The benefits have not reached them yet," the chief minister said. Kumaraswamy said the people of Karnataka liked policies of the Congress-JDS alliance, be it the crop loan waiver or financial aid to the street vendors. Congress' Karnataka unit chief Dinesh Gundu Rao, while addressing a separate press conference, said their sounding victory was an indication that the people of Karnataka had given their approval to the coalition government's policies. "It has rejected the BJP, its divisive politics and dictatorial tendencies. We will contest the 2019 election together," he said. Rao charged BJP with forgetting its duty as a responsible opposition. "The power hungry BJP did not fulfil its responsibility of an opposition party. They set aside ethics and morality due to which they faced defeat at four places while its victory marginshrunk substantially in Shivamogga," Rao said. Diwali came a day earlier for the JD-S-Congress coalition as they worsted BJP 4-1 in the bypolls winning two Lok Sabha and two Assembly constituencies, while conceding the Shimoga parliamentary seat to the saffron party. The Congress scored a major victory wresting the Bharatiya Janata Party citadel in Bellary (reserved) Lok Sabha seat, when its candidate V.S. Ugrappa defeated BJP's J. Shantha by a margin of 2,43,161 votes. In the JD-S stronghold of Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, its candidate L. Shivarame Gowda won by a margin of 3,24,943 votes against 2,44,404 secured by BJP's Siddaramaiah. The BJP only managed to win the Shimoga Lok Sabha seat where former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa's son B.Y. Raghavendra polled 5,43,306 votes against 4,91,158 of JD-S nominee Madhu Bangarappa, the son of former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa. In the two assembly bypolls, the ruling alliance scored a resounding victory. The prestigious Ramnagaram seat went to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy's wife Anitha, who won on the JD-S ticket by a huge margin of 1,09,137 votes. The 55-year-old Anitha defeated BJP's L. Chandrashekar, who had quit the BJP to rejoin the Congress ahead of the November 3 bypolls. His nomination, however, remained since the final date of withdrawal had passed. In the Jamkhandi assembly seat, Congress candidate Anand Siddu Nyamagouda, son of former Union Minister Siddu Nyamagouda, defeated BJP's Shrikant Kulkarni by 39,480 votes. The seat had fallen vacant following the death of Nyamagouda senior. With Tuesday's victory, the strength of the ruling coalition in the 224 member assembly goes up to 120. (With inputs from agencies)