Ending all speculations, senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Monday announced that he will be contesting the forthcoming Karnataka Assembly polls from Kolar constituency.
The 75-year-old former chief minister, who was looking for a "safe seat", had been giving indications about choosing Kolar for some time now, by holding a series of meetings with party leaders from the district.
"I have decided to be a candidate for the next election from Kolar," Siddaramaiah said at the party workers meeting in Kolar, amid loud cheers from the crowd.
Pointing out that he was under pressure from party leaders, workers and people of Kolar to contest from here, he said: "I cannot reject your love and affection... I have decided to contest from this constituency, but it is subject to approval from the high command." Congress leaders and workers from Kolar have been exerting pressure on the Congress Legislature Party leader to contest from the constituency. Siddaramaiah had received similar requests from Varuna, Badami, Hebbal, Koppal and Chamrajpet segments among others.
The Congress Legislature Party Leader's earlier visit to Kolar in November and his cryptic statement about coming back to the constituency during the filing of nomination, had led to speculation that he may contest the 2023 assembly election from here.
Siddaramaiah, who currently represents Badami segment of Bagalkote district in northern Karnataka, had indicated that he may not contest from there, citing his inability to give more time for people and party workers of the constituency.
Srinivasa Gowda, Kolar's sitting MLA from JD(S), who has switched sides to Congress, had earlier indicated that will not be contesting polls and wants Siddaramaiah to stand in the constituency.
Siddaramaiah, who has announced that 2023 assembly polls would be his last, had made it clear that he would not contest from Chamundeshwari. As the then sitting chief minister, he lost the 2018 polls in Chamundeshwari to JD(S) candidate G T Deve Gowda by 36,042 votes.
He, however, won Badami, the other constituency from where he had contested and defeated B Sriramulu (BJP) by 1,696 votes.
Making his debut in the Assembly in 1983, Siddaramaiah had got elected from Chamundeshwari on a Lok Dal Party ticket. He has won five times from this constituency and tasted defeat thrice.
After neighbouring Varuna became a constituency in 2008 following delimitation, Siddaramaiah represented it till he vacated the seat for his son Dr Yathindra (now MLA) in the 2018 assembly polls and went back to his old constituency of Camundeshwari.
Pointing out that he had won from Chamundeshwari five times, twice from Varuna, and once from Badami, Siddaramaiah said some people are indulging in false propaganda stating that "he didn't have a constituency and was in search of one".
"The fact is that I'm under pressure from voters in my old constituency Varuna to contest from there. Voters from my current constituency Badami have offered to buy me a helicopter, when I told them that the constituency is far and was unable to hear their issues and resolve them on a daily basis," he said, adding that he has however decided to contest from Kolar this time, as he was indebted to the love and affection shown by the people here.
Siddaramaiah, who was chief minister from 2013 to 2018, is nursing ambitions for a second term in office, if the party wins the next assembly polls.
With State Congress President D K Shivakumar too having similar aspirations, it has triggered a game of one-upmanship between the two leaders.
Congress functionaries hope that Siddaramaiah contesting from Kolar will help the party's prospects in the districts of Kolar, Chikkaballapura and Bengaluru Rural, and they recalled his work in ensuring water supply for the drought-affected region by initiating Yettinahole Project, and filling up tanks with KC Valley and HN Valley projects.
According to party sources, Kolar is a safe bet for Siddaramaiah as it will consolidate AHINDA votes in his favour and Vokkaliga leaders of the party from the region also have pledged support to him. AHINDA is a Kannada acronym that stands for 'Alpasankhyataru' (minorities), 'Hindulidavaru' (Backward Classes) and 'Dalitaru' (Dalits).
They said Siddaramaiah's supporters have conducted surveys and have concluded that the seat can ensure a comfortable win for the "Kuruba" leader, and Kolar being close to Bengaluru city could make it easy for him to ensure his presence there often.
Alleging that some are indulging in false propaganda that he is an outsider to Kolar and won't be able to respond to the needs of the people on a regular basis, Siddaramaiah assured that he will come to the constituency every week, and any worker or a citizen can meet him directly.
"If the high command approves and gives me an opportunity to contest from here, I will work for all-round development of the Kolar constituency and district as a whole," he said, as he promised to complete several irrigation projects and developmental works in the region.
Amid fears that a factional rift in the Kolar unit of the party with former Union minister K H Muniyappa upset may become a drawback to his prospects, the Leader of Opposition had made attempts to reach out to the sulking leader. Siddaramaiah had met Muniyappa before leaving for Kolar on Monday.
Muniyappa is upset with senior MLA and former Speaker Ramesh Kumar's growing prominence in the Kolar unit. Kumar is said to be a Siddaramaiah loyalist.
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