BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has advocated the need for coming together of secular forces to defeat communal forces in the country. The statement, coming in the wake of the recent victory of Congress in the bypoll to Gundlupet and Nanjangud constituencies, assumes significance as the party had struck an understanding with JD(S) not to field its candidates.
Siddaramaiah, who has conveyed his gratitude to JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda for obliging his request, welcomed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s meeting with AICC President Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi as part of his efforts to forge unity of secular outfits ahead of the presidential election.
“All the secular forces should come together to take on BJP in the Presidential election,” Siddaramaiah said. While JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy has asserted that his party would field candidates for all the 224 seats in the 2018 election, there are groups within the two parties that are in favour of an alliance to defeat the BJP.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme where newly elected members of the Assembly Kalale Keshavamurthy (Nanjangud) and Geetha Mahadeva Prasad(Gundlupet) took oath as members of the house, Siddaramaiah said, he would discuss about filling the two vacant berths in state ministry with the party high command during his visit to Delhi on Sunday.
The Chief Minister is scheduled to participate in the NITI Ayog meeting in New Delhi on Sunday.
He refused to comment on the appointment of new KPCC president and said, party high command would decide on that.