Amid disagreements between the party’s local leaders in Kolar, the Congress High Command has instructed former chief minister Siddaramaiah to drop his plan to contest from the Kolar assembly segment in the coming state Assembly polls, said sources.
According to sources, the Congress top brass has asked Siddaramaiah to contest from his traditional stronghold of Varuna in the Mysuru district, where his son doctor Yatindra Siddaramaiah won in the 2018 Assembly Elections. Surveys by a team of Karnataka congress incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala predicted a rough ride for the former CM in Kolar.
After the 2019 Lok Sabha election two factions have been created in Kolar. Former speaker Ramesh Kumar versus former Union Minister KH Muniyappa which is creating trouble for Siddaramaiah.
Former minister Muniyappa has openly said that he lost the election because of K Ramesh Kumar.
Ramesh Kumar former speaker and Congress leader from the Srinivaspur constituency is closely associated with Siddaramaiah, which is an indigestible thing for Muniyappa.
In 2018, Siddaramaiah fielded his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah from the Varuna constituency and he shifted to Badami. He contested elections from two constituencies one Chamundeshwari constituency in Mysore and another one Badami. He lost against GT Devegowda of JDS in Chamundeshwari but survived by winning in Badami.
Meanwhile, people from Badami also protested in front of Siddaramaiah’s house in Bengaluru when he announced that he wish to contest from the Kolar constituency demanding him to contest from Badami again.
According to the sources, many leaders from Kolar, Badami, Varuna, and Chamarajpet are meeting Siddaramaiah and asking him to contest. But after the message by Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah may choose to contest most likely from the safe seat of Varuna.
Earlier, Revenue minister R Ashoka took a dig at Congress leader Siddaramaiah and said, Congress is confident of winning more than 130 seats in Karnataka but it is in search of the constitution for its leader.
Siddaramaiah will run away from the Kolar constituency as the BJP candidate from Kolar Varthur Prakash will win, he said.
Karnataka is scheduled to go to polls later this year.