Ready to make way for Dalit Chief Minister, says Siddaramaiah

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Bengaluru, May 13, 2018 (DHNS): Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said that the just concluded elections were his last, as he was exiting from electoral politics.

Speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said, “Even if Lord Brahma comes and asks me to contest again, I will not. I had decided not to contest these elections too. But I later changed my mind. I feared that people might think that I fled the battlefield despite being the chief minister.”

Siddaramaiah also indirectly conceded that his contest in Chamundeshwari against JD(S)’s G T Deve Gowda, wasn’t a smooth sail.

“I will win in both Badami and Chamundeshwari. In Badami, I will win by a huge margin. Though I might not get as big a margin in Chamundeshwari, my victory there is certain.”

Dalit CM
He has also given the opposition ammunition by stating that he has no qualms if the Congress high command were to pick a Dalit leader in the party for the chief minister’s post.  “It’s not possible to directly announce a Dalit chief minister, as it requires the consensus of the party legislators. I will go by what the high command has to say,” he added.

Meanwhile, he took to twitter to tell his party workers, supporter and well wishers, not to worry about the exit polls. Ridiculing the exit polls, he asked them to “relax and enjoy” their weekend.

A majority of the exit polls have given BJP an edge over the Congress.

‘Mentally upset’
Getting back at Siddaramaiah for having called in ‘mentally disturbed’, BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa on Sunday said that the chief minister had been “mentally upset” for the last five days, as he was anticipating a defeat.

“I will give it in writing, the BJP will get anywhere between 125 to 130 seats. I can swear on it -- Everything I say comes true, it always has. I will become the next chief minister. Siddaramaiah has been mentally upset for the last five days. There is an anti-Congress wave. It will not get more than 70 seats. The JD(S) will garner around 22 to 23 seats, while the Independents might get 2 to 4 seats,” he said.

He also reiterated that he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party chief Amit Shah on May 15 to discuss the dates for the swearing-in ceremony.

“Following this, I will convene the legislature party meeting. The BJP need not be concerned. We don’t need the support of any party, as we will get an absolute majority,” he added.

Countering Yeddyurappa, KPCC president G Parameshwara said that he too would give it in writing that the Congress would cross the magic number of 113.

While the BJP and the Congress continue trading charges, the JD(S) is maintaining a stoic silence. After pooh-poohing the exit polls, which have given his party abysmally low numbers, JD(S) state president H D Kumaraswamy is said to have flown to Singapore along with his son Nikhil Kumaraswamy for a two-day break.