Despite Cong warning, 2 more MLAs back Siddaramaiah as CM

At least two more legislators from the Congress on Tuesday endorsed Siddaramaiah as the future chief minister of Karnataka, adding to the growing factionalism and challenges for the principal opposition party in the southern state ahead of the 2023 assembly elections

At least two more legislators from the Congress on Tuesday endorsed Siddaramaiah as the future chief minister of Karnataka, adding to the growing factionalism and challenges for the principal opposition party in the southern state ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.

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The public airing of views on the party’s chief ministerial choice comes on the same day when state Congress president, DK Shivakumar met Rahul Gandhi in Delhi on Tuesday.

“It is the dream of the entire people of the state that Siddaramaiah should become the chief minister,” JN Ganesh, the Congress legislator from Kampli in Ballari said on Tuesday.

Bhima Naik, the Congress legislator from Hagirbommanahalli in the same district, added that the youth who voted for BJP in the 2018 assembly elections, are now stating that they had made a mistake. Naik too said that it was his opinion that Siddaramaiah should become the chief minister again.

The statements fuels factionalism in the Congress party and further sours relations between opposition leader Siddaramaiah and state party president DK Shivakumar.

The statements come a day after the national leadership of the Congress warned legislators in Karnataka from projecting anyone as the chief ministerial face.

Earlier, Chamrajpet MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan and Koppal legislator Raghavendra Hitnal had aired their views backing Siddaramaiah in public, irking the state party president who also nurses ambition to take the top job if the Congress is voted to power in 2023 elections.

Shivakumar was in Delhi on Monday to get the central leadership to crack down on such statements. Promptly, Congress national general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala issued a statement in which he warned party legislators from airing their views on who will be the next chief minister.

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Shivakumar said that he did discuss various developments of the state with Rahul Gandhi but refused to comment on a specific question of his party legislators mooting Siddaramaiah’s name as chief minister.

“I am a Congress worker,” Shivakumar said and walked away.

Siddaramaiah has distanced himself from the statements but people aware of the developments said that the former was trying to mobilise support among party legislators.

“The statements made by few of @INCKarnataka MLAs about the next @CMofKarnataka are their personal opinions & not our party’s stand. High command will decide after the elections based on Congress Legislature Party’s collective opinion. Any discussion now is unnecessary,” Siddaramaiah said in a post on Twitter.

Siddaramaiah who was in Ballari, on Tuesday said that in a democracy, legislators are allowed to air their views but this is not the party’s opinion.

“Have I said that I will become CM anywhere? Has it been decided in the party? There is no discussion in the party. There is no need to give it so much importance and is not even a point for discussion,” Siddaramaiah said.