An emotionally charged former deputy chief minister Siddaramaiah shed tears over not being able to contest from Chamundeshwari assembly constituency from where he had been contesting all through his 25-year political career.

Addressing a nearly 3,000-strong meeting of Congress activists here on Saturday, the Congress leader’s voice choked as he fought back his tears and “thanked” his voters and supporters.

Siddaramaiah is contesting from Varuna constituency this time round.

The meeting was called to pledge support to Satyanarayana, the Congress candidate contesting from Chamundeshwari.

Regaining composure after his emotional outpouring, Siddaramaiah said Chamundeshwari would not be “orphaned” now that his close aide Satyanarayana would ensure that it will continue to get the best attention even in his absence.

Sanyas?

Siddaramaiah raised a lot of eyebrows when he announced his plans to retire from active politics.
“I hope this will be my last election. I will take a decision after consulting my supporters, at the end of this term. In any case, I will not continue for more than 5-10 years,” the Congress leader said.