RR Nagar is bone of contention within coalition

Election to Rajararajeshwarinagar Assembly constituency in Bengaluru has become a bone of contention between the alliance partners, the Congress and the JD(S).

The two parties on Thursday failed to arrive at a decision on who should support whom in the contest even as candidates fielded by both the parties continued their election campaign in the constituency. While the Congress wants the JD(S) to support it, the latter is insisting that the Congress should give up the seat in its favour.

A meeting held by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Congress leaders D K Shivakumar and his brother D K Shivakumar on the issue remained inconclusive. Congress candidate and former MLA Munirathna was also present in the meeting held at Chief Minister’s home office “Krishna.”

The election is scheduled to be held on May 28. The Election Commission of India had postponed the election to Rajarajeshwarinagar constituency following seizure of large number of voter identity cards ahead of May 12 polling. G H Ramachandra is the JD(S) candidate.

Kumaraswamy is learnt to have told the Congress leaders that his party will back the Congress in the election to Jayanagar constituency, which has been countermanded following the death of the then sitting MLA and BJP candidate B N Vijaykumar. Election to Jayanagar constituency is scheduled on June 11. But, Shivakumar insisted that the JD(S) should support the Congress in both the constituencies.

The leaders are learnt to have decided to continue their discussion after the floor test of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government scheduled on Friday.

Meanwhile, the BJP has urged the Office of Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, Sanjiv Kumar to take action against those who are indulging in election malpractice in the constituency. The party accused the Congress of indulging in the malpractice.