Key facts
- Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has called a Congress legislature party meeting.
- The meeting will take place at a resort in Bidadi on Tuesday.
- The strategy session is for the legislative council polls scheduled for June 18.
- MLAs will remain at the resort until the polling day to prevent poaching by the JDS.
- The JDS has fielded a candidate, Govindaraju, despite not having enough votes.
- The BJP has pledged support to the JDS candidate.
Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has called a Congress legislature party meeting at a resort in Bidadi, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, for Tuesday. The meeting aims to strategize for the upcoming legislative council polls scheduled for Thursday, June 18, where the Congress is contesting all five seats.
The party leadership is concerned about potential poaching of MLAs by the Janata Dal (Secular) or JDS, which has fielded its candidate Govindaraju despite not possessing the required number of votes. To counter this, the Congress MLAs are expected to stay at the resort until the polling day.
Some senior Congress lawmakers had reportedly expressed reservations about staying at a five-star resort, preferring the state secretariat, Vidhana Soudha, for the meeting. However, sources indicate that some senior leaders will continue to stay in Bengaluru.
Union minister and State JDS president HD Kumaraswamy met with his party's core committee members on Friday to discuss their strategy for Govindaraju's election. Both Shivakumar and Kumaraswamy have placed significant importance on these council polls, which have evolved into a proxy contest between them.
There are eight candidates vying for seven seats in the legislative council election. The Congress has nominated five candidates, while the BJP has put forward two. The JDS's decision to contest has altered the electoral dynamics. The BJP has reportedly promised to allocate six surplus votes to the JDS. The JDS, with 18 MLAs, requires an additional four votes to secure a win.