Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Monday hinted at fielding former minister and Congress leader Pramod Madhwaraj from Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituency.
Kumaraswamy told reporters at Sringeri, “Pramod Madhwaraj is not an outsider. He is our own man. The decision will be taken on the same soon.”
Speaking to reporters in Udupi on Monday, Madhwaraj confirmed to reporters that he was approached by the JD(S) leaders asking him to contest from Udupi seat as their candidate. “I will hold talks with my party leaders as the Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy himself had approached me with an offer to contest the election from Udupi-Chikmagalur seat. Nothing is finalised yet, a decision in this regard will be taken soon,” he added.
“The Congress and the JD(S) are facing the elections unitedly and thus there is no question of differences. If I contest, I will be the candidate of the coalition partners,” the Congress leader said. As per the seat-sharing deal, the Congress ceded Udupi-Chikamagalur seat, along with seven others constituencies to its alliance partner JD(S).