Congress making efforts to resolve differences with JDS at

Worried about dissidence within hampering prospects of the ruling Congress-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha polls, Congress is going all out to find a 'via media' solution to differences between local leaders of the parties in old Mysuru region,especially Mandya.

The alliance is facing a backlash at several places, including Tumkur, Mandya and Hassan, where Congress workers are not actively participating in campaigning for JD(S) candidates, unhappy over the seat arrangements.

With a cold response from local leaders and workers, Congress is now worried about a similar response from JD(S) in constituencies like Mysore, Chikkaballapur, Kolar, Bangalore North and Bangalore Rural, where its candidates are in the fray.

With transfer of votes between Congress and JD(S) crucial for them to outperform the BJP, there is now worry that this dissidence may affect their performance.

Following the recent diktat from the party high command, including its national President Rahul Gandhi, to ensure support of Congress workers to JD(S) candidates, the state leadership has now pitched into damage control mode.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Dinesh Gundu Rao, along with CLP leader Siddaramaiah late on Tuesday night met party leaders from Mandya, where the dissidence between both parties is more visible and asked them to campaign for JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy, son of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy.

According to Congress sources, party leaders in Mandya told Rao and Siddaramaiah about their difficulty in
Asked if all former Congress MLAs and leaders would take part in campaigning for coalition candidate, hesaid "with CLP leader Siddarmaiah and JD(S) patriarch H D Deve Gowda jointly campaigning in Mysore, Mandya, Tumkur, Bengaluru soon, all our leaders will have to be present, so I'm confident that things will be resolved."
Also, stating that small differences in Mysore have been resolved with the Congress leadership speaking to district-in-charge minister G T Devegowda of JD(S), Rao said there is no problem now for JD(S) leaders to campaignfor the Congress candidate,
They can quit theparty and work for anyone, but being in the party no one goes against its decisions, it will not be tolerated."