K’taka bypolls to influence assembly elections, says Kumaraswamy
BENGALURU: Karnataka chief minister, HD Kumaraswamy, on Tuesday said the upcoming bypolls in the state will have a bearing on elections in other states set to be held in the next two months.
Addressing a press conference to mark 150 days in office, Kumaraswamy said, “The state elections and next year’s Lok Sabha polls will be held in the backdrop of the bypolls”. This will be the first test for the Congress-Janata Dal (Secular), or JD (S), coalition, which has decided to campaign together.
Days after the alliance’s top leaders, former chief minister Siddaramaiah of the Congress and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda of the JD (S), publicly buried the hatchet and reunited after 12 years on the same stage, Kumaraswamy emphasised that the bypolls in the state would lay down a marker for the general elections next year.
Bypolls are set to be held for three Lok Sabha and two state assembly constituency on November 3 and counting of votes will be on November 6. The JD(S) is set to contest three seats — the Mandya and Shivamogga Lok Sabha seats and the Ramanagara assembly constituency — and the Congress two — the Ballari Lok Sabha and the Jamakhandi assembly seats.
Elections are due in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana in November and December ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Kumaraswamy highlighted the farm loan waiver announced by the Congress-JD(S) alliance government . He also said that the state government was considering a similar waiver of student loans, but no proposal had been worked out yet.
“By March, all 4.4 million farm households will receive the waiver,” Kumaraswamy said. “In a similar light, we are considering a suggestion to waive education loans because many parents have petitioned me regarding this matter. No proposal has been worked out yet,” he added.
ELECTIONS ARE DUE IN THE STATES OF CHHATTISGARH, MP, MIZORAM, RAJASTHAN AND TELANGANA IN NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER AHEAD OF THE 2019 LS POLLS.