Siddaramaiah non-committal on contesting from Badami in 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections

In 2018, the former Chief Minister lost from his traditional Chamundeshwari seat in Mysuru district but managed to enter the Assembly via Badami

Former CM and Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah was non-committal on an attempt to retain the Badami Assembly constituency from where he was elected in 2018.

On August 10, just as he was ending his speech after a padayatra in Badami, some people began demanding that he return as the Congress candidate in the next Assembly elections. They raised slogans like ‘Mundina Badami MLA Siddaramaiah’ and ‘Matte Badami’. Some Congress leaders, who were on stage, also joined them in raising this demand.

Siddaramaiah was requested to announce his candidature from Badami in 2023. The former CM, however, did not yield to the demand. “I am the MLA from Badami... I will work for the people of Badami,” he said before ending his speech.

He accused the BJP of ‘conspiring to destroy the Constitution’. He urged party workers to fight to protect the Constitution. “The Central and State Governments are trying to overturn the Constitution, and weaken and abuse constitutional authorities and agencies. We should stop this. We should ensure that the Constitution is protected and implemented in the right spirit,’’ he said.

“We should all realise that we have become equal partners in this electoral democracy only because of the Constitution. It is because of Dr B R Ambedkar’s Constitution that I could become the Chief Minister and Narendra Modi could become the Prime Minister. It is because of the principles of universal franchise, and one vote one value that all are eligible to vote and participate in this democracy,” he said.

BJP announced the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign only after the Congress announced constituency-wise padayatras. “BJP is doing nothing but displaying fake patriotism with its Har Ghar Tiranga scheme. It is ironical that those who had never had any genuine respect for the tricolour are asking people to hoist the national flag,” he said.