May contest from Kolar in assembly polls: Siddaramaiah

Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah has said that he is likely contest the assembly elections due next year from the Kolar constituency, while dropping his present seat of Badami

Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah has said that he is likely contest the assembly elections due next year from the Kolar constituency, while dropping his present seat of Badami.

Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah has said that he is likely contest the assembly elections due next year from the Kolar constituency (File)

Speaking in Kolar on Sunday, he said: “All the Congress leaders in the state are united and we do not have any opinion differences. So many people in Kolar want me to contest from here in the upcoming elections. So, I would not like to say that it is not possible, and it is entirely possible for me to contest from here. But the decision will be taken by the high command and I will contest based on their order.”

The leader of the Opposition also ruled out a contest from his present seat of Badami.

“Badami is too far from here and I have no intentions of contesting from there once again. There are good leaders in Badami who can look after the people of Badami. So, I might contest from either Kolar or Varuna, wherever the high command orders me to contest from,” he said.

In the 2018 assembly elections, Siddaramaiah contested from Badami and Chamundeshwari constituencies. He won the Badami assembly seat but he lost the poll at Chamundeshwari.

On Sunday, Siddaramaiah also expressed confidence that his party will come back to power in next assembly elections. “People are tired of the corrupt BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] leaders in the state. They are waiting for good days to come back after the 2023 assembly elections,” said Siddaramaiah.

State transport minister B Sriramulu, who lost to Siddaramaiah by a narrow margin in Badami, said on Monday that the former CM’s visits to Kolar are a poll gimmick. “Finally, he will contest from Varuna. He will lose wherever he contests from in the next elections,” said Sriramulu. “Siddaramaiah is more scared of [state Congress president] DK Shivakumar than the BJP,” he added, in a velied reference to reports of a rift between the two leaders.

Former chief minister BS Yediyurappa said: “I do not know why he is leaving Badami. Maybe he is scared since he has not worked well.”

Janata Dal (Secular) leader H D Kumaraswamy said that the party is not worried about Siddaramaiah’s entry as it had identified an able candidate for the constituency.