Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah Tuesday termed the growing clamour within his party to make him chief minister once again as an expression of supporters' "affection", but said he still stands by his word about not contesting the next assembly polls.
The Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Siddaramaiah said "Operation Kamala 2.0" will not succeed as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is unlikely to return to power at the Centre.
Addressing a public meeting in favour of the Congress-JD(S) alliance candidate Prajwal Revanna at Kaduru in Chikkamagaluru, Siddaramaiah said, "Not a single vote of Dalits, backward castes and Muslims should go to the BJP."
Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah misbehaves with a woman at a public meeting in Mysuru
Dismissing the incident as a mere happenstance, Karnataka Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao said that there was no intention if misbehaving with the woman.
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The crucial meet was being seen as a show of strength for the Congress, in a counter to BJP's alleged toppling bid which the ruling coalition has said has turned out to be a "flop".
Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress state President Dinesh Gundu Rao were aware of the development, the minister further said.
State Congress Chief Dinesh Gundu Rao and Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara had recently said the cabinet expansion would take place within this month.
A row was erupted after Siddaramaiah’s remarks, with some seeing it as having an unsettling effect on the Janata Dal (Secular)-Congress government.
Giving clear signals that all is not well within the coalition in the state, Kumaraswamy also said that he wasn't happy.
Siddaramaiah also claimed that all the 78 legislators of the party and two Independent MLAs were with them.
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