By IANS
New Delhi : In the wake of a political row, the government will soon convene an all-party meeting to decide if assembly elections in Karnataka should be held before or after redrawing the country’s state and parliamentary constituencies.
The Congress party, which rules India but is out of power in Karnataka, is eager to implement the delimitation commission report before the state goes to the polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is opposed any delay in the elections.
Congress sources said the all-party meeting would be called in the first half of February.
“We are confident the Congress will be able to convince its allies about the need to implement the delimitation report immediately,” said a party leader.
“The party feels that the redrawing of the constituencies will be good for the Congress as there will be an increase in the number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the state,” the source added.
When the Kuldeep Singh Delimitation Commission report, awaiting the final nod from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, is implemented, there will be a hike of 13 reserved seats in the Lok Sabha and 68 in the assembly in the state.
“Of the 68, there will be a considerable increase in the number of Scheduled Tribes seat, from two to 13. It is definitely going to help the Congress as our support base among the tribals is still strong,” a Congress MP from Karnataka told IANS here.
The Congress also hopes that the leadership of Mallikarjun Kharge, a Dalit, would play a positive role in Karnataka for a party that is determined to regain its once overwhelming support among the Scheduled Castes.
Congress leaders do not hide their keenness to implement the delimitation commission report before the assembly elections in Karnataka, which has been under President’s Rule since Nov 20.
“The delimitation process will have to happen and all parties will have to accept it. There has been a lot changes in urban and rural electorates. Deprived classes should get their due,” said Prithviraj Chavan, a Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) minister and Congress leader in charge of Karnataka affairs.
But the Election Commission has reportedly said that it would take at least four to six months to complete the process of working out new constituencies.
Some Congress leaders admit that the delay in holding elections in Karnataka would benefit the party because it would diminish the sympathy factor towards the BJP.
The BJP alleged that it was ‘betrayed’ by the Janata Dal-Secular, which failed to live up to its pledge to back a BJP government even after taking support from the BJP to govern the state.
A strong section of Congress leaders from Karnataka, who believe that their party could bank on the Scheduled Castes and tribal support base, have cautioned the party leadership against ousting Kharge.
They argue that Kharge, who was MLA for eight consecutive times, would be the best to counter the Bahujan Samaj Party’s (BSP) long-term plans in the state.
“That’s why we feel that (Maharashtra Governor) S.M. Krishna’s return to active politics in Karnataka will create troubles,” said a Congress MP from the Rajya Sabha.
However, the Congress leadership has not yet decided on whether to extend the President’s Rule in Karnataka. The state came under central rule Nov 20. Fresh polls have to be held in six months after the imposition of President’s Rule.