BackCongress wins Karnataka. Who will be the next Chief Minister?
Karnataka election result 2023: Siddaramaiah is a mass leader who joined the grand old party in 2006 after his ouster from JD(S) of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda
PremiumCongress party has outperformed in the Karnataka assembly election 2022, winning 136 seats as of 4:30 pm. The party has defeated BJP by a huge margin in the 224-assembly house.
Now the big question that has emerged is who will be the new chief minister of Karnataka--Congress veteran Siddaramaiah or party's loyalist DK Shivakumar.
Earlier, Siddaramaiah said if Congress voted to power, it would be his last election. The veteran political leader, has got a landslide victory in the Varuna constituency, earlier said, "I am retiring from politics. I desire to represent my native constituency and place and retire".
Siddaramaiah served as the Chief Minister of Karnataka for five years from 2013 to 2018. In the previous BJP government, he was the leader of the Opposition. On Saturday, the 75-year-old leader got 1,19,430 votes against 73,424 polled by his BJP rival and influential Lingayat leader V Somanna.
Today, before the counting of votes, Siddaramaiah’s son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Saturday expressed confidence that his father will win the “absolute majority" and become the Chief Minister in the “interest of the state".
Siddaramaiah is a mass leader who joined the grand old party in 2006 after his ouster from JD(S) of former Prime Minister Deve Gowda.
Rustic in appearance at times, and not known to mince words, Siddaramaiah never hid his ambition to become chief minister and had repeatedly stressed on it unapologetically and unhesitatingly insisting that there is nothing wrong in aspiring for the post.
Siddaramaiah, who had grown to become a mass leader, has the distinction of presenting as many as 13 state budgets as Finance Minister.
Some of his friends say he has a somewhat "overpowering" personality and remains steadfast in his goals.
On the other hand, DK Shivakumar, the eight-time MLA from Kanakapura constituency, is another strong contender for the chief ministerial post in Karnataka. He is one of the richest politicians with a strong base.
The party loyalist, Shivakumar on Saturday afternoon broke down as his party looked poised towards forming the next government in the State. He also recalled his stint in jail in 2019.
Shivakumar thanked the party cadre and workers for the results.
"I can't forget Sonia Gandhi visiting me in jail...when BJP people put me in jail," Shivakumar who was almost choking with emotion said.
Speaking to reporters, the Karnataka Congress Pradesh Committee (KPCC) chief said, "I credit my cadre and all my party leaders, they worked hard. People have lent faith in us, they supported us. It is a collective leadership and we jointly worked. I said in the beginning, joining the party is beginning...the day I took the oath, thinking together is progress, and working together is success".
Shivakumar recalled his time in jail in the year 2019 for over 50 days in ED custody in connection with an alleged money laundering case.
"I had promised Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, and party president Mallikarjun Kharge that I will deliver the state to their fold. When these BJP people put me in jail, I remember Sonia Gandhi came to meet me there. Such is the faith the party, the Gandhi family, and the whole country bestowed on me," he said.
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