Will not contest from Chamundeshwari constituency: Siddu

NT Correspondent

For mer CM and Congress Legislature Party(CLP) leader Siddaramaiah has categorically declared that he will not contest the next Assembly polls from Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency in Mysuru district. In fact, there are invitations to contest from four or five other constituencies in the 2023 Assembly polls but so far no decision has been taken, he said.

Talking to reporters in Maddur on Sunday, Siddaramaiah said he would decide on his constituency in the coming days after thinking over the subject. Replying to a question, he said he did not foresee assembly elections before the due date next year. But in case the elections are preponed, the Congress party is ready to face it, he said adding, “the electorate is with us and will vote for the Congress’.

On the possibility of Chamundeshwari JD(S) M L A  G. T. Deve Gowda who had defeated him in the 2018 Assembly polls, joining the Congress party, the CLP leader said Gowda had spoken to him regarding joining the Congress party. But he had sought a poll ticket for himself and his son which has not been discussed with the Congress high command, he said.

On CM Bommai’s statement on likely defection of MLAs from the Congress to BJP, Siddaramaiah said people would have to just wait and watch to see how many MLAs shift from the BJP to Congress. “I am very happy in the Congress and have been Legislature Party leader too. My aim is to bring the Congress to power in Karnataka”.

Asked for his reaction to reports of a possible pre-poll tie-up between the BJP and JD(S), the Congress leader said they were free to have a tie-up or ‘match fixing’ and the Congress was not bothered about it.

The former CM refused to give any importance to Congress MLC C.M. Ibrahim tendering his resignation from the party and said there was no need to give much importance to him. The Congress party gave Ibrahim the poll ticket to contest from Bhadravathi replacing sitting MLA B.K. Sangamesh in 2013 and yet he lost. Subsequently, he was given various posts and recently Ibrahm was nominated to the State Legislative Council. The Congress has not done any injustice to him and it is only because Ibrahim is selfish that he is engaging in such acts including submitting his resignation. Now he has resigned saying that he was not made Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Council. The Congress party will not suffer in any way due to Ibrahim’s exit, he added.