Bangalore: Congress leader KC Venugopal on Friday confirmed that Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) will be fighting the 2019 general elections together as a pre-poll alliance.
Venugopal, who was addressing a press conference along with Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation in Karnataka said, “Congress and JDS will fight the 2019 Lok Sabha elections as part of the alliance.”
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Speaking about the cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation, he said, “We(Congress-JDS) have come to a conclusion regarding cabinet expansion and portfolio allocation.”
He further informed that JD(S) will hold the finance ministry, while the home department and the Bengaluru city development department went to the Congress.
The Congress got the portfolios of 22 ministries including Home, Irrigation, Health, Agriculture and Women Child Welfare, while 12 ministries, including Finance & Excise, PWD, Education, Tourism and Transport went to JD(S).
Venugopal further said the rest of the departments would be decided by the Chief Minister in consultation with Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chief Minister said that cabinet expansion will take place on June 6.
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“Today we (Congress-JDS) have decided the portfolios and henceforth on June 6 there is a Cabinet expansion after which we will definitely have good governance,” Parameshwara told media.
The Congress and JD(S) had been at the loggerheads over portfolio allocation ever since Kumaraswamy passed floor test on May 25, two days after his swearing-in on May 23.
(With ANI inputs)