In Karnataka, coalition partners Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) are drawing a blueprint for seat sharing ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. While the JD(S) has put forward a demand for contesting 12 out of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, the Congress camp is not ready to concede. According to sources, the Congress, which is riding on the victories in the recent Assembly polls, wants to keep a larger share of the seats in the state.
Both parties will be holding internal meetings before holding a meeting of the coalition coordination committee. However on Tuesday, 1 January, JD(S) supremo HD Deve Gowda demanded that his party contests 12 of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming elections, pointing out the 2:1 formula of the coalition. His demand sparked debates in both the camps.
2:1 Formula Should be Followed: Deve Gowda
Deve Gowda argued the seat sharing should be on the basis of the 2:1 formula. The two coalition partners have been following this formula for power sharing and Cabinet portfolio allocations.
"After the formation of the coalition government, this formula was adopted in allocating portfolios, (heads of) boards and corporations. Naturally, the same formula will apply to Lok Sabha seats," said Deve Gowda.
Deve Gowda said, according to the formula, 11 seats should come to the JD(S), adding that however, his party will seek an extra seat.
He also added that the JD(S) had got seats in accordance with this formula in the past, when it had allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Asked if the JD(S) will go alone in the Lok Sabha polls if the Congress does not agree to give 12 seats to it, the former prime minister said, "That issue will not arise. This formula has been implemented smoothly all these days."
Arithmetically, 2:1 works out to 18 seats for the Congress and 10 for the JD(S).
Congress Wants a Larger Share
In the 2014 general elections, the JD(S) contested from 25 seats, but won only two. Similarly, in 2009, they contested from 21 seats and secured victory in only three seats.
The Congress is buoyed after the Assembly election victories in the Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and wants to cash in on the growing support for the party. For this, they would want to contest from as many seats as possible in the state.
Congress campaign committee chairman HK Patil said there was "no confrontation and no confusion" between the two coalition partners over seat-sharing. However, according to party sources, the Congress wants to give only 6-7 seats to the JD(S).
The Battle for Old Mysuru
The JD(S) has a strong presence in in the Old Mysuru region. The party’s pitch for 12 seats means that it is eyeing a large number of seats in the region. According to party insiders, the JD(S) wants to contest from Hassan, Mandya, Mysuru, Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkballapur, Bengaluru North, Chitradurga, Shivamogga, Raichur, Vijayapura, and Bidar.
Seven of these seats come under the Old Mysuru Region, four are in North Karnataka and one falls under coastal Karnataka.
However, three of these seats in the Old Mysuru region – Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkballapur – are held by the Congress.
The Congress is unlikely to give up seats they are holding, but the JD(S) wants them as they come under its sphere of influence. Thus, the battle for these seats is expected to be fierce.
The Mysuru seat in particular will see a tug of war between the two parties. It is the home turf of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, but he was defeated by the JD(S) in the Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency that falls under the Mysuru Lok Sabha seat, in the Assembly elections. While winning Mysuru is part of Siddaramaiah’s redemption, the JD(S) is not expected to give up the support they have gained in the district. The seat is currently held by the BJP’s Pratap Simha.
Although these differences remain, the final decision on the issue is expected only by mid-January. The matters will have to be discussed with the coalition coordination committee chaired by former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and, then, finalised by the heads of both the parties. This will happen only after the Winter Session of Parliament ends.
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