POLITICAL SCOOP: 'In alliance there will be give and take', says Siddaramaiah revealing reason behind giving Tumkuru seat to JD(S)

In a massive political scoop concerning the state of Karnataka, former state CM Siddaramaiah has revealed that his party had to 'compromise' on the seat-sharing deal with the JD(S) for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The senior Congress leader, while speaking to the media, suggested that there was a 'give and take' approach between the two parties, which saw the grand old party concede the Tumkuru seat to its ally, despite objections from the former CM.

"In (an) alliance there will be give and take..," Siddaramaiah said before adding, "We had said it should not be given (Tumkuru seat), but it is the party high command's decision. We will have to go by the decision.."

On Wednesday, the two parties, who joined hands and formed a post-poll alliance in Karnataka after the 2018 state elections, finally agreed on the seat-sharing formula for the General elections.

While initially it was reported that the JD(S) would not budge on anything less than 12 seats, in the end, the party had to be content with eight seats in the 28-seat assembly in Karnataka. Though, JD(S) did manage to get the seats of Tumkuru and Chikkamagalurum, constituencies which Siddaramiah had been trying to keep with his own party.

READ: Congress Gets 20, JD(S) Gets 8 In Karnataka As Rahul Gandhi Has The Final Say Over HD Deve Gowda

Following are the constituencies in Karnataka from where JD(S) will fight the upcoming Lok Sabha polls:

• Uttara Kannada 
• Chikkamagaluru 
• Shimoga 
• Tumkur 
• Hasan 
• Mandya 
• Bengaluru North 
• Vijayapura

Dates of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls were announced on Sunday by the Election Commission. Unlike 2014, elections in 2019 would be held in seven phases starting April 11 and ending May 19. The counting of votes would be done on May 23.

READ: Lok Sabha Polls: I Have Clinched 10 Seats, Rahul To Take Final Decision, Says Deve Gowda On Seat Sharing In Karnataka

Polls in Karnataka will be held in two phases. The first date of polling is April 18, while the second is April 23. In the 2014 polls, BJP had won 17 seats, with the Congress winning nine and JD(S) winning two.