Karnataka Assembly polls: Siddaramaiah accepts JDS leader HD Kumaraswamy’s challenge, to contest from Chamundeshwari

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Siddaramaiah will contest the upcoming Assembly polls from Chamundeshwari constituency

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced that he will enter the election fray from Chamundeshwari Assembly constituency in Mysuru district. Siddaramaiah currently represents the Varuna constituency in the Legislative Assembly.

“I will win with the blessings of people from Chamundeshwari,” he told reporters here on Thursday when quizzed about JDS state president HD Kumaraswamy’s open challenge to him to contest from the constituency.

Siddaramaiah said that he has successfully contested elections from Chamundeshwari constituency five times. The CM said that he has complete faith in the voters of the constituency and that they will not listen to anyone including Kumaraswamy. “Does Kumaraswamy know how many times I have contested from Chamundeshwari constituency, seven times, I have won five times. Does he know all this?”

Kumaraswamy had earlier claimed that Siddaramaiah was looking for a safe seat to contest this time, like Narasimharaja in Mysuru. He had dared the CM to contest from Chamundeshwari, and predicted that he would lose the battle. He had even reminded Siddaramaiah that during 2006 bypolls, he had won with a margin of 257 votes.

Siddaramaiah had first entered the Assembly in 1983 on a Lok Dal party ticket from Chamundeshwari seat. He has won five times from here and tasted defeat twice.

CM’s son to contest from Varuna?

Meanwhile, if reports are to be believed, the outgoing CM’s son Yatheendra could contest on the Congress party’s ticket from Varuna constituency. The battle here could be one for prestige for both the ruling Congress and the BJP with the latter mulling over fielding its chief ministerial candidate BS Yeddyurappa’s second son BY Vijayendra.

Karnataka will go to polls in a single phase on May 12 while counting of votes will take place on May 15. The tenure of the 224-Chair House expires on May 30.