As the date for Lok Sabha polls were announced, the political parties are busy with selection of candidates in Karnataka which goes to polls in two phases on April 18 and 23.
Congress and JDS which are Coalition partners in the Government, have decided to fight the election jointly in an attempt to prevent BJP winning more seats.
While the BJP which is expected to field its candidates in all the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies, the Congress and the JD(S), the coalition partners in Karnataka are yet to hammer out the seat sharing arrangements.
Speaking to newsmen, the BJP State President B S Yeddyurappa had said that the list of selected candidates will be released by March 16.
The Congress, which had few rounds of talks with the JD(S) on seat sharing issue, is expected to finalise its list today.
The AICC President Rahul Gandhi has convened a meeting of the senior Congress leaders in New Delhi and likely to shortlist the party’s probable names, the party sources said.
While the Congress is expected to concede about 7 to 8 seats to JD(S) including Tumakuru, which is being held by the Congress, the JD(S) is also bringing pressure on the State congress leaders to leave the Mysuru, and Chikkaballapura, where it claims has a fair chance winning than the Congress.
Mr Rahul Gandhi had held a meeting with the JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda recently at New Delhi and reportedly hammered out the poll alliance between two parties for Karnataka.
In 2014 general election the BJP had won 17 Lok Sabha seats followed by Congress (9) and JD(S) two.
However the BJP had suffered a jolt when it had failed to retain the Ballary Lok Sabha seat, in the by-elections held in November last, which was wrested by the Congress candidate V S Ugrappa. The seat had fallen vacant as B Sriramjulu resigned following his election to Legislative Assembly.
Meanwhile the Mayavathi led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which has secured less than two per cent of popular votes in the last Lok Sabha elections, had announced to field its candidate in all the 28 Seats in Karnataka. It had also named renowned Social worker C S Dwaraknath as its candidate at Chikkaballapura Seat.
