Amidst ridicule by the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders over the quest for a safe seat to contest in the 2023 Assembly elections, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah on Sunday dropped hints of Kolar Assembly constituency as his possible choice on a day he was given a rousing welcome by thousands of his followers in this town.
Though Kolar was long speculated, Mr. Siddaramaiah during a visit to the town, about 80 km from here, on Sunday told a gathering that “he would return during nomination” after arriving in a bus with well-decked interiors readied for election campaign. This was the first hint overtly from the former Chief Minister, who is known to have been looking at nearly a dozen constituencies to zero in on a safe seat. Currently, Kolar is represented by Srinivas Gowda, who won on Janata Dal (Secular) ticket, but has identified himself with Congress.
In what looked like an election fever, the former Chief Minister – seemed like appeasing communities – garlanded statues of B.R. Ambedkar, Sangolli Rayanna, Sarvajna, Mahatma Gandhi, and Maharshi Valmki, among others. On a packed day, he went to Kolaramma temple, dargha and a church in Kolar. It was at the Methodist Church that he said: “I will have to come during nomination. I will come again then. I appeal to all of you to support Congress this time.”
Earlier, speaking to presspersons in Bengaluru, he said that though he had been invited by his followers in at least four constituencies, he had not decided on it yet.
While the former Chief Minister lost his elections from Chamunedeshwari constituency in Mysuru district after leaving his stronghold Varuna constituency to his son Yathindra, he scraped through in Badami constituency in the 2018 elections. Political analysts believe that it is not going to be easy for Mr. Siddaramaiah in a faction-ridden Kolar Congress unit with former Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar, a supporter for Mr. Siddaramaiah, and former Union Minister K.H. Muniyappa not seeing eye to eye. Even on Sunday, followers of Mr. Muniyappa raised pro-Muniyappa slogans during Mr. Siddaramaiah’s event.
Meanwhile, the BJP ridiculed Mr. Siddaramaiah for looking at different constituencies for next elections. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said in Hubballi that Mr. Siddaramaiah lost Chamundeshwari because he did not work and urged people of Kolar to reject him.
Transport Minister B. Sriramulu, who lost to Mr. Siddaramaiah by a narrow margin in Badami, said: “Kolar rounds is a poll gimmick. Finally, he will contest from Varuna. He will lose wherever he contests from in the next elections.”
Speaking near Gangavati in Koppal district, the Minister said: “Mr. Siddaramaiah is scared of (KPCC president) D.K. Shivakumar than the BJP.”
While in Tumakuru, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswamy said he did not know why he was contesting in Kolar since it was not safe, the former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa said: “I do not know why he is leaving Badami. May be he is scared since he has not worked well.”
In Bengaluru, Janata Dal (Secular) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy said that the party is not worried about Mr. Siddaramaiah’s entry as it had identified an able candidate for the constituency. “Mr. Srinivas Gowda himself will be a problem for the Congress as local people are angry with his decision to side Congress,” he said.
