Siddaramaiah should be Karnataka CM nominee, say 2 more Congress MLAs

It seems that the Congress national leadership’s directions to its Karnataka cadre, asking them not to float speculations on the party’s chief ministerial candidate for the 2023 Assembly elections, has had little bearing on some of its legislators.

For, two of the party’s legislators - Akhanda Srinivasamurthy from Pulikeshinagar and S Ramappa from Harihar - on Wednesday demanded that Congress legislature party leader Siddaramaiah should be the CM candidate.

Speaking to mediapersons on Wednesday, Srinivasamurthy said Siddaramaiah was a popular leader and the public was keen on seeing him back as the CM.

Read | Siddaramaiah vs DKS: K'taka Cong divided over CM face

“All our opinion is that he should become the CM. It will be good for the state,” he said.

Harihar MLA S Ramappa said KPCC president D K Shivakumar was still “young” and hence Siddaramaiah should be given an opportunity to be the CM candidate in 2023.

“Shivakumar still has time. In 2023, I believe Siddaramaiah should become the CM. Shivakumar will get an opportunity in the following elections,” he said.

Irked by the statements, Shivakumar said he was in no hurry to occupy any post. The only focus of the party at this point is to bring Congress back to power in Karnataka.

“We have to devote time to it completely. The public wants to see a change of administration in the state,” he said, adding that he had never claimed that he wanted to become the CM.

“I’m in no hurry to occupy any post,” he said.

Siddaramaiah sought to distance himself from the legislators’ comments.

“What can I do if they issue such statements? This doesn’t concern me,” he told reporters.

Recently, AICC general secretary incharge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala had directed the party cadre to refrain from projecting CM candidates for the 2023 polls, after legislators like Zameer Ahmed and Raghavendra Hitnal made statements in favour of Siddaramaiah’s candidature.