What stops Siddaramaiah from returning to Varuna: His never-ending dilemma on seat selection

Siddaramaiah has been facing a dilemma over selection of seats since the 2013 Karnataka elections. There are a number of factors that prevent him from going back to his stronghold, Varuna

New Delhi, Jan 24: Congress leader and former chief minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah announced recently that he would contest the assembly elections from the Kolar seat.

Siddaramaiah's dilemma with seat selection was also seen during the 2018 elections from the Badami constituency in North Karnataka. The senior leader in 2018 had also contested from Chamundeshwari but lost the elections by a massive margin.

This year around he made it clear that he would contest just from one seat and in all likelihood it would be Kolar and this would be subject to the approval of the high command.

Siddaramaiah is looking to bank on the votes of the minorities and backward classes and Muslims. Of the 2.25 lakh voters in Kolar, 40 per cent are Vokkaligas, 20 per cent backward classes, 15 per cent Dalits and 14 per cent Muslims.

Siddaramaiah has been very vocal when it comes to raising issues relating to the minorities and he is banking heavily on this. Kolar has a sizeable Muslim population and has elected Muslim MLAs in 1957, 1978 and 1998. All three had won on a Congress ticket.

Despite being a mass leader, the dilemma that Siddaramaiah has been facing is about the seat selection. Psephologists OneIndia spoke with said that this does not bode well for the party if the main leader and the one in contention for the post of chief minister if the Congress comes to power is seat hunting in every election.

While choosing a safe seat for himself, Siddaramaiah has ensure that his prospects are not negated by the rivalries between the Kurubas, tribal Valmikis, Dalits and Vokkaligas.

Siddaramaiah is a five time MLA from Chamundeshwari in the Mysuru region. He won as an independent in 1985, from the Janata Party in 1994 and 2004 and on a Congress ticket in 2006. In 2006 he won with a wafer thin margin of 257 votes following which he abandoned the seat.

However in 2008 and 2013, he won easy from Varuna which is also in the Mysuru region. In Varuna, the Vokkaligas make up for 20 per cent of the population, while the Lingayats are at 35 per cent and OBCS 25 per cent.

However he gave up his Varuna seat in the 2018 elections to his younger son, Yatindra Siddaramaiah. He took a risk and went back to Chamundeshwari that year and lost the seat. His son however won the Varuna seat easily.

In 2018 after Congress leader B B Chimanakatti vacated the seat, Siddaramaiah contested from Badami. He however won by a narrow margin in Badami which has nearly 30 per cent Kurubas and 25 per cent Valmiki Nayak votes.

Siddaramaiah is unlikely to return to Badami as there have been divisions in the local Congress and accusations about him giving more preference to Southern Karnataka.

The former chief minister also finds himself in a dilemma about going back to Varuna where his prospects are still bright. But keeping his son in mind, he is ready to take that risk of not returning to Varuna. This is one of the main reasons, why Siddaramaiah opted for Kolar.