Congress-JD(S) separate for council elections

Mysuru: Irrespective of ruling the State as coalition partners, the Congress and the JD(S) are not united with regard to the elections to the three vacant legislative council seats. Candidates from both the parties will contest for the elections, resulting in another triangular contest between the Congress, JD(S) and the BJP.

There are three seats in the Legislative Council- South Teachers’, Southwest Graduates’ and Southwest Teachers’. The South Teachers’ constituency was held by the JD(S) with MLC Marithibbe Gowda, who is seeking a re-election. The other two constituencies are held by the BJP. Gowda is pitted against M Lakshamana from the Congress and B. Niranjanamurthy from the BJP.

There are eight candidates contesting from Southwest Graduates’ constituency, nine from South Teachers’ and twelve from Southwest Teachers’. The Southwest Graduates’ has former MP Aayanur Manjunatha as the BJP nominee, Aruna Kumar from the JD(S) and S.P. Dinesh from the Congress. In the Southwest Teachers’ constituency, BJP nominee Captain Ganesh Karnik, Congress nominee K.K. Manjunath and JD(S) nominee S.L. Bhoje Gowda are facing the battle.

Meanwhile, another question arises as to whether the alliance will put up a united fight in the local body elections in Old Mysuru region or contest separately for it. This question is also of significance since both the Congress and the JD(S) are dominant in the region.