Will contest next Assembly election: Siddaramaiah clears the air around his political future

Karnataka Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Monday announced that he would contest the next Assembly election, drawing curtains on speculation over his political future.

“I will contest the next election. I won’t run away,” Siddaramaiah said in the Legislative Assembly during his speech on the Budget, which took a brief political detour. “Let there be no doubt on this. I hope I’ve clarified this to the people of the state.”

Siddaramaiah said this after Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri nudged him to spell out what he had in mind.

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The BJP was quick to point out that Siddaramaiah’s announcement was not only aimed at the people of the state, but also those within the Congress. Ostensibly, they meant Karnataka Pradesh Congress President (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar.

It is no secret that Siddaramaiah is nursing his ambition to become chief minister for a second term, which could come in the way of Shivakumar’s shot at the top post if the Congress is to win the next Assembly elections scheduled in 2023.

Siddaramaiah had said that the 2018 Assembly election would be his last. However, there is pressure on him from his loyalists within the party to contest the next election. “It is not for (Siddaramaiah) to decide,” former Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar said during this exchange.

Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, in a banter, said Siddaramaiah had conveyed the message to the right people within his party by announcing his intention to contest the next election. Minutes after Siddaramaiah said that, Shivakumar walked into the Assembly. “See, I was right,” Bommai quipped.

When Revenue Minister R Ashoka asked Siddaramaiah which constituency he would contest from, the Congress leader jokingly said Padmanabhanagar, which is Ashoka’s turf. He later said, “I'm now representing Badami. I will continue there.”

Earlier, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said Siddaramaiah’s dream of coming to power would remain unfulfilled. “Your dream is impossible. Also, you are criticising the Budget, which women have welcomed across the board. On the basis of this Budget, let’s both go to the people in the upcoming bypolls. We will see what people decide,” Yediyurappa said.

To this, Siddaramaiah dared Yediyurappa to dissolve the Assembly and face fresh elections. “Why bypolls? If you are so confident, dissolve this Assembly. Let's see who gets the mandate,” he said.

Siddaramaiah was the first chief minister in four decades to complete the full five-year term. In the 2018 polls, he contested from two seats - Chamundeshwari and Badami. He lost Chamundeshwari badly, while winning Badami in what was a close call.