Karnataka Elections 2023: As Congress takes lead, Siddaramaiah son's pitches father for CM's post

Siddaramaiah was the first Chief Minister of the state of Karnataka to serve a complete term of 5 years, in nearly 40 years.

As the Congress went past the halfway mark in early leads in the Karnataka assembly election, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, son of former chief minister Siddaramaiah, on May 13 pitched his father for the top job in the southern state.

“We are confident that we are going to get a majority, and we won't be needing any other party’s alliance. In the interest of the state, my father should become the CM,” he said, as the Congress looked on track to defeat the BJP in the 224-member assembly.

As per the Election Commission data, the Congress had clocked 43.2 percent vote share and was leading on 112 seats, the half-way mark.

Siddaramaiah is the Congress candidate from Varuna and was leading when reports last came in. He is up against BJP's V Sommana, who is the housing and industrial development minister.

Siddaramaiah, who has declared 2023 assembly election to be his last, is an aspirant for the chief minister’s post as is Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar.

In 2005, Siddaramaiah was expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular) over differences with party patriarch HD Deve Gowda and joined the Congress.

Soon after, he won a by-poll by defeating JD(S) candidate. A popular leader, he led the Congress to victory in the 2013 assembly election and went on to be the chief minister.

Siddaramaiah had the distinction of being the first chief minister of Karnataka to serve a complete term of five years in nearly 40 years.