Bengaluru: Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda on Friday announced that the party would contest in all the 224 constituencies and popularity of the aspirants would be the only criterion for giving party tickets.
Deve Gowda was addressing convention of party workers and leaders as part of the preparations for 2018 Assembly election at Palace Grounds here. Deve Gowda exhorted them to bury any differences and strive hard to bring JD(S) to power.
Reiterating his assurance on finalising the list of party candidates well ahead of the polls, Gowda said candidates would be selected on the basis of the report to be submitted by presidents of respective districts. “JD(S) Core Committee would finalise the candidate if there are more than one suitable candidate in any constituency,’’ Gowda said.
Citing the recent victory of JD(S) candidate Ramesh Babu in the Legislative Council by-poll for South-East Teachers’ constituency, Gowda said people of the state were disillusioned with national parties BJP and Congress and JD(S) had a good chance to defeat the two rivals in the Assembly polls.
The former prime minister has accused the BJP government at the centre and Congress government in the state of failing to come to the rescue of farmers who are in distress due to successive droughts in the state.
