Karnataka - Bangalore   

Congress may contest polls on its own

Bangalore: The State unit of the Congress is expected to contest all the 224 Assembly seats in the coming elections on its own.

President of KPCC M. Mallikarjun Kharge, who toured the districts for the past two months, told The Hindu here that he was overwhelmed by the success of the Janandolana programme, which was planned to expose the “misdeeds” of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (Secular).

Congress leaders had already covered 18 districts and the remaining would be covered over the next fortnight.

“The party’s rank and file is buoyed by the success of the Janandolana programme and plans are afoot for programmes to stay in continuous touch with the people during the run-up to the Assembly elections. It is unlikely that the party will have any pre-poll alliance with any other party although a final decision in the matter will be taken by the party high command,” Mr. Kharge said.

The KPCC president was confident that the Congress would emerge the single largest party.

“We got 36 per cent of the votes in the 2004 Assembly elections and I am confident we will get much more this time. The BJP obtained only 28 per cent of the votes and the Janata Dal (S) 18 per cent”.

On the electoral impact of the Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party contesting all the Assembly seats, Mr. Kharge felt that the Congress vote bank could not be dented.

“The BSP has been harping on social justice and empowerment to all classes, something the Congress has already done in Karnataka two decades ago. The situation in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh is different from Karnataka. We are a socially advanced State. If the BSP and the Samajwadi Party enter the electoral scene, there will be a five-cornered contest in most of the constituencies. The Congress will outdo all of them” the KPCC chief said.

On the claims by the BJP of a sympathy wave in their favour after the Janata Dal (S) withdrew support to the B.S. Yeddyurappa government, the KPCC President was of the view that no political party in the State had a sympathy wave in its favour.

“The people of the State are well aware of their designs. The BJP-Janata Dal (S) alliance fell apart after they fought over sharing of portfolios. The people are aware of all this. I have toured all parts of the State over the last two months and I did not sense any such wave”.

After the completion of the Janandolana campaign Mr. Kharge will finalise the fine print of the election strategy with the Congress high command in Delhi.

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