KOLAR: Former chief minister Siddaramaiah indicated here on Sunday that he could contest from the Kolar Assembly constituency. “There has been a lot of pressure from people asking me to contest from here. I cannot say no. However, the high command will take the final decision,” he said, amid loud cheers from his supporters.
The Congress Legislature Party leader said he spoke to party senior leader former MP KH Muniyappa, who extended help if he contested from Kolar. “There are no differences within Congress. We will all work together,” he said.
Siddaramaiah, who lost from the Chamundeshwari constituency in his home district Mysuru and won in Badami by a slender margin of 1,996 votes in the last Assembly elections, has been hunting for a constituency for a while now. Though he represents Badami now, he made it clear a few days ago that he will not contest from there again.
Siddaramaiah, who was accorded a grand welcome at Kolar, visited Kolaramma Temple, the Methodist Church and the Dargah as a gesture to please all communities. Congress leaders from the district, including Speaker Ramesh Kumar, MLAs SN Narayanaswamy, KY Nanje Gowda and K Srinivasa Gowda, MLCs Nazeer Ahmed and Anil Kumar, former legislator Chinthamani Sudhakar and former Legislative Council chairman VR Sudarshan, were present at the programme.
Muniyappa did not attend the event as he is said to be away in Gujarat. Some of his supporters came near the Dr Ambedkar statue, where Siddaramaiah was garlanding the bust, raised slogans praising Muniyappa and left the spot.