The Congress said on Friday that it will battle the upcoming Lok Sabha election in Karnataka together with Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).

“It has been chosen that Congress and JD-S will battle the following Lok Sabha decisions as pre-election partners,” Congress General Secretary K. C. Venugopal told journalists here within the sight of Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy.

Venugopal said the correct appropriation of seats will be worked out later.

The declaration, coming a day after the joint opposition defeated the BJP in the Kairana Lok Sabha by-poll in Uttar Pradesh, is being viewed as a stage forward in endeavors among opposition parties for coordinated battle against the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Ten days after coming to power, the JDS-Congress ministry in Karnataka is set to be expanded on June 6, as the two parties reached a power sharing arrangement after intense haggling and announced their decision to fight the Lok Sabha polls as pre-poll allies.

Capping protracted hard bargaining with Congress top central leadership stepping in, the two parties voiced their “firm resolve” to ensure that the coalition government headed by H D Kumaraswamy would complete its full five-year term. The Congress has conceded the plum Finance portfolio to its junior partner, resolving a thorny issue, after its president Rahul Gandhi intervened and spoke to Kumaraswamy.

“Little bit of issues came in the form of finance portfolio. Lastly, Congress president Rahul Gandhi himself gave directions to us..that this coalition government is the need of the hour of the country,” Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said.

Venugopal said, …”Finally Congress decided to give finance portfolio to JDS, as per the direction of Rahul Gandhi,” as he read out a joint statement signed by him and JDS secretary general Danish Ali at a press conference here.

Kumaraswamy, his predecessor Siddaramaiah and Congress leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge were present. As per the power sharing agreement, the Congress would get the portfolios of Home, Irrigation, Bangalore City Development, Industry and Sugar Industry, Health, Revenue, Urban Development;

Rural Development, Agriculture, Housing, Social Welfare, Forest and Environment, Labour, Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Science and Technology and IT/BT, among others. The JDS’s portfolios include, Finance, Excise, Information, Intelligence, Public Works Department, Power, Cooperation, Tourism, Education and Transport.

Energy portfolio had also emerged as a sticky point in the negotiations, with state senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar, who was the key person who kept the Congress flock together during the political drama, reportedly keen on it. The rest of the portfolios would be decided by the chief minister in consultation with the deputy chief minister, Venugopal said. The ministry would be expanded on June 6, Kumaraswamy said.

Kumaraswamy said he and deputy chief minister G Parameshwara met the Governor Vajubhai Vala and asked for his time for the swearing-in but due to his prior engagement in Delhi from June 3 to 5th evening, “ultimately he has given the time for Wednesday 2 pm.”

It had also been decided that the Congress and JDS would fight the next Lok Sabha elections as pre-poll allies, the joint statement said, adding, the exact distribution of seats would be worked out and announced later. JDS and Congress had stitched up a post-poll alliance at the state level after the recent assembly polls yielded a fractured mandate with BJP emerging as the single largest party with 104 members, falling short of the required numbers.

The assembly polls had resulted in a hung assembly, the joint statement said, adding, in this background, the Congress and JDS had come together to form a coalition government in the state. “Over half the electorate voted for our two parties taken together,” it said.

A common agenda for governance based on the manifesto of both the parties would be prepared and presented to the people of the state at the earliest, the statement said. The two parties also announced a coalition Coordination and Monitoring Committee which would meet at least one in a month. The committee comprises Kumaraswamy, Parameshwara, Siddaramaiah, Venugopal and Danish Ali.

Siddaramaiah would be the chairman and Ali the convenor of the coalition Coordination and Monitoring Committee. Under the agreement, all appointments to statutory boards and corporations would be cleared by the coordination committee. Two-thirds of the posts will be Congress appointees and one-third JDS.

The two coalition partners also resolved to provide a transparent, accountable and responsive administration, giving the highest priority to farmers, youth and women, to ensuring economic growth in all regions of the state and to promoting social justice and communal harmony.

“The coalition government will be for all sections of Karnataka society,” the statement said. Kumaraswamy was sworn in as chief minister on May 23. Two days later on May 25, he proved the majority on the floor of the assembly. BJP had conceded the numbers game with B S Yeddyurappa resigning on May 19 without facing the trust vote.

Telangana is celebrating its fourth formation day today (June 02). The state was formed on this day in 2014 following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao took salute at a ceremonial parade on the Secunderabad Parade Grounds this morning. The state ministers are taking part in the district-level celebrations.

Areas like power, irrigation, drinking water supply and agriculture have been the prime focus of the Government during the past 4 years.

All government buildings in the Hyderabad and across the state have been decorated to mark the day. Several cultural and social events have been lined up across the state.

Telangana was carved out from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh as the 29th state in the country, after a long struggle for the statehood on the same day in 2014. Telangana gained fame as one of the fastest growing and surplus state economies in the country.

However, certain areas like employment generation still remained as a point of concern.

Meanwhile, Constitutional buildings, government offices, historical monuments and public places have been decked up beautifully. A number of cultural, sports and social events have been lined up in the state capital Hyderabad and also in districts as part of the celebrations.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

Congress and JD(S) are likely to announce a power-sharing deal for their coalition government in Karnataka on Friday, with unambiguous reiteration that H D Kumaraswamy will be chief minister for the full term and the two parties will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together.
Contrary to speculation, the protracted negotiations were focussed not just on ministerial portfolios to be apportioned between the two partners but also on other dimensions — setting up a coordination committee, common minimum programme and stability of the government, as reported by TOI in an interview with Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot on Thursday.
Among key portfolios, finance will go to JD(S) while the home department will be run by Congress.
JD(S) secretary general Danish Ali told That, “The announcement will be a written agreement resolving all issues to run a stable coalition for five years. That is why it has taken so long. We wanted everything to be on paper so that the government could run smoothly for its full term under the chief ministership of H D Kumaraswamy.”

A mixed response was witnessed to the Madhya Pradesh farmers’ call for the 10-day shutdown in the state beginning Friday amid heavy police presence, coinciding with the first anniversary of the death of seven persons in police firing on farmers.

In state capital Bhopal, Mandsaur and other places, milk, and vegetables supply were affected, due to which prices of vegetables recorded an uptick.

Security personnel, including those from the paramilitary forces, were deployed in strength.

Though the shutdown had limited effect in big cities and towns, it was widespread in small towns and suburbs.

Aam Kisan Union Kedar Sirohi told IANS: “Farmers are united and continuing with their protest. The state government is trying to make their protest a failure but they are not ready to bow before the government at any cost.”

Rashtriya Kisan Mazdoor Mahasangh leader Shivkumar Sharma accused the government of spreading lies and rumors on the agitation by farmers.

“The question is not who is supporting the agitation. The question is if the demands of the farmers are valid,” he said.