'No intention to win, helping BJP': Siddaramaiah urges minorities not to vote for JD(S)

Former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday urged the minority voters not to cast a single vote to Janta Dal JD(S) during the upcoming Hangal and Sindagi Bypoll. He stated that voting for the regional party means voting for BJP. Congress leader also accused the JD(S) of helping BJP as they are deliberately fielding minority community candidates in both the constituencies. During 2018 assembly polls too, Congress had accused the JD(S) of being the BJP's "B-team".

Don't vote for JD(S): Siddaramaiah

"Though JD(S) has fielded its candidates, the straight fight is between the Congress and BJP. JD(S) has not fielded a candidate with an intention to win. They have fielded to help the BJP. I'm not saying this, people are saying this," Siddaramaiah said.
 

While addressing the poll campaign meeting at the Sindagi constituency, the leader of opposition in the state assembly said that JD(S) always targets Congress. He also highlighted that during the Basavakalyan by-polls which was held earlier this year, too the regional party fielded a Muslim candidate, who got about 8,000 votes, which resulted in Congress' loss.

"Making Congress to lose is their (JDS) intention. But I know people are not dumb as they think... minority community voters know and understand their intention. I pray to minority community voters, that if you vote for JD(S), it is like voting for BJP. So don't cast a single vote for JD(S)," he added.

For the upcoming polls, JD(S) has fielded 33-year-old Naziya Shakeel Ahmed Angadi from Sindagi and 35-year-old Niyaz Shaikh from Hangal.

'JD(S) is a sinking party': Siddaramaiah

It is not the first time when Siddaramaiah passed remarks against the JD(S) party. He said that intelligent voters do not work for JD(S) as it is a 'sinking party', the party has lost its popularity in Mandya and has become weak, he added while speaking to the media. Earlier, slamming them for fielding Muslim candidates from the Sindagi and Hangal constituencies, he said, "I don't know, ask Kumaraswamy (JDS leader), but their intention is not good, because their intention is not to make minorities win. If they had the intention to ensure minorities win, they could have given tickets in other constituencies like Ramanagara, Hassan, Mandya (JDS stronghold)."

Karnataka By-polls

Meanwhile, Karnataka is all set to go into by-polls for the Sindagi and Hangal assembly constituencies on October 30. Concerning the same, 37 candidates have already filed their earlier this week including eight from Sindagi and 29 candidates from Hangal. The counting of votes will take place on November 2. The by-elections have been necessitated as the seats fell vacant following the death of Sindagi JD(S) legislator M C Managuli and BJP’s C M Udasi from Hangal.

(With PTI Inputs)