Former Chief Minister and JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday offered to trade the party’s second preference votes with the Congress in the coming Rajya Sabha polls in a bid to defeat the BJP’s third candidate.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Mr. Kumaraswamy said JD(S) was ready to cast its 32 second preference votes in favour of the Congress’s second candidate Mansoor Ali Khan if the latter pledges its 24 second preference votes for JD(S) candidate Kupendra Reddy.
He revealed that the Congress’s general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala spoke to him on June 2 and sought the JD(S) support for their second candidate. The offer has already been passed on to Mr. Surjewala, who promised to send an emissary to discuss the matter. “But, nobody has come yet,” he said.
