LS polls: Kumaraswamy meets Amit Shah, discusses seat-sharing in K’taka
New Delhi: Former Chief Minister and Karnataka JD (S) President H.D. Kumaraswamy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday and held a meeting for 30 minutes at his office.
Sources stated that Kumaraswamy met Amit Shah in the wake of taking a final decision on seat-sharing between the parties and regarding the rise of dissent against JD (S) from certain BJP leaders in the state. Sources further explained that Kumaraswamy insisted with Amit Shah to allow JD (S) candidates to contest from Mandya, Hassan and Bengaluru Rural or Kolar Lok Sabha seats.
Though the alliance between the parties was declared four months ago, the seat-sharing is yet to be finalised. Sitting MP Sumalatha Ambareesh, an independent candidate from the Mandya seat, announced her support for BJP. She had stated that contesting the Mandya seat was her final decision.
Amit Shah has promised Kumaraswamy to take the final call on seat-sharing soon and consider his demands to allow JD (S) candidates to contest from Mandya and Hassan Parliamentary seats after taking opinion from the state leadership.
Kumaraswamy’s son and actor-turned-politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy accompanied his father during the meeting. JD (S) hopes to get five to seven seats from the BJP majorly located in south Karnataka in the Lok Sabha elections.