The Hindu : Karnataka News : Pulling out of pact with BJP has not hit the Janata Dal (S), says Merajuddin Patel

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Thursday, Dec 27, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Pulling out of pact with BJP has not hit the Janata Dal (S), says Merajuddin Patel

S. Rajendran

Party commissions informal survey to ascertain its status

Deve Gowda to launch campaign
on January 2
Party unlikely to have any electoral understanding

Bangalore: The Janata Dal (Secular) has commissioned an informal survey across all the 224 Assembly constituencies in the State to ascertain the party’s status vis-À-vis that of its rival political parties. The survey report is expected to enable the party leadership to plan the election campaign and strengthen the party in regions where it is weak.

The Janata Dal (Secular) is strong in the old Mysore region apart from the districts of Kolar, Bangalore Rural, Chitradurga, Tumkur and Davangere. The party will seek to make good its poor performance in some of the northern districts in the 2004 elections. It will also work out ways to offset the loss arising from some leaders walking out of the party in the districts of Gulbarga and Bellary.

President of the State unit of the Janata Dal (Secular) N. Merajuddin Patel, who is playing a key role in finalising the party’s strategy for the Assembly elections, told The Hindu here on Wednesday that the party had not really suffered any setback after pulling out of the understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Mr. Patel said with the former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy expected to take rest for at least a month after the heart surgery which he underwent recently, the election campaign would be launched by the former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president H.D. Deve Gowda and himself on January 2 at Udupi. From here, the Janata Dal (Secular) leaders will cover Mangalore, Hassan, Mandya, Mysore and Kolar before arriving in Bangalore. Thereafter, the party leaders will move to Bidar on January 10 to launch its campaign in northern districts. Mr. Patel said the party was unlikely to have any electoral understanding and would contest all the 224 seats.

“The Janata Dal (Secular) will go before the people under the leadership of Mr. Kumaraswamy and he will also be the Chief Minister candidate of the party unlike in the other parties where there are several leaders keen on becoming Chief Minister,” he added.

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