Karnataka Polls: From Varuna, Siddaramaiah Plays ‘Last Election’ Card
Former Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said that the 2023 assembly elections will be his last electoral stint. Addressing a rally in Varuna after filing his nomination, Siddaramaiah tried to woo the voters by playing the emotional card of his retirement from the electoral politics. The Leader of Opposition said that he will quit the electoral politics after this poll. Siddaramaiah was the chief minister of Karnataka between 2013 and 2018. In this year’s poll, he is likely to stake a claim for the top chair for the second time. Though the Congress has not declared its chief ministerial candidate, Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar is also one of the top contenders for the post and faces a stiff challenge from Siddaramaiah.
In the 2018 Karnataka elections, Siddaramaiah had contested from two seats – Badami and Chamundeswari but lost from the Chamundeswari seat. This year, he was vying for two seats – Varuna and Kolar but got ticket only from Varuna. Addressing the rally, the senior Congress leader said that people of Varuna have always supported him. “This is the last time I am filing papers from the Varuna constituency,” he said.
In the 2018 assembly elections, Congress had fell short of the majority mark but managed to form the government with the support of HD Kumaraswamy-led JD(S). Later, defection paved way for the BJP government in the state. While BJP initially trusted veteran leader BS Yeddyurappa with the state’s reign, BS Bommai was made the CM in 2021. This year’s election is the litmus test for Bommai’s leadership. If he manages to take the BJP past the majority mark, the saffron party is likely to continue with him as the CM.
Karnataka Election 2023 Schedule
According to Election Commission, the 224-seat Karnataka assembly will go to the polls in a single phase on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13. April 20 is the last date for filing the nominations.
