Mangaluru: JD(S) president and former Prime Minister Deve Gowda announced that his party will hold a peace rally and a conference in the city next month. He also ruled out the possibility of a coalition between the JD(S) and the Congress to form the next government in the state.

Addressing a press meet at Circuit House, Deve Gowda said, "We had planned to hold a peace march in Mangaluru last year, but due to imposition of Section 144 (in mid 2017), we decided against it. We will now hold a party conference and peace march here in February. We do not claim to have a stronghold in the coastal region, but I have instructed all the local leaders and members to strengthen the party in this region."

"We will contest all the 224 Assembly seats in the state. We will be sharing some seats with the Left parties. Our party is already a part of Kerala's communist government. During the last elections we sought support from the SDPI, but I do not want to say anything about this year's elections at the moment. We are not interested in forming a government with the Congress or even take its help. I have already experienced the effects of friendship with this party," he opined.