Siddaramaiah won't contest 2028 polls, Congress leaders to urge him

Despite former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah's announcement not to contest the 2028 Assembly elections citing his age and 'corrupted' politics, Congress leaders, including MLA Shivalinge Gowda, have said they will try to persuade him to reconsider.

Congress MLA Shivalinge Gowda on Monday said party leaders will try to persuade former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to remain in the electoral arena for another five years, despite his announcement that he will not contest the 2028 Assembly elections.

Speaking to reporters here about Siddaramaiah's statement, Gowda said, "Siddaramaiah has said, 'I will not contest the next election.' He has not said that he will retire from active politics. He has said that by the time this term ends, he will be 82 years old, and therefore he will not contest the elections. However, he has also made it clear that he will continue to play an active role in politics and work for the party. Even so, all of us will try to persuade him to remain in the electoral arena for another five years."

Siddaramaiah cites age, 'corrupted' politics

His remarks came hours after Siddaramaiah announced that he would not contest the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections, citing the changing nature of politics, his advancing age and health, while asserting that he would remain active in public life.

In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said the political landscape had become "corrupted" and that he had decided not to contest any future elections. "Since the political field has become corrupted today, I will not contest in the 2028 assembly elections. However, remaining active in politics, I will continue to stand as a voice for the people's hardships and joys," he said.

The veteran Congress leader also said the people of Varuna constituency had urged him to contest again, but he had made up his mind to stay away from electoral politics.

Reflecting on changes in the electoral process, Siddaramaiah said that in earlier elections, it was the people of the constituency who financially supported candidates, but "such a situation no longer exists".

Siddaramaiah, who is now 79, said his health no longer allowed him to campaign with the same energy as before. He noted that by the 2028 Assembly elections, he would be 82 years old, marking 50 years in active politics since beginning his public life as a taluk board member in 1978.

Despite ruling out future electoral contests, Siddaramaiah said he would continue to dedicate his life to public service and remain a voice for the people.

'Not retiring from politics': Congress leaders react

Congress leaders, however, maintained that Siddaramaiah was not retiring from politics. MLA Ashok Pattan said the former Chief Minister's statement was intended to encourage younger leaders and added that if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked him to contest, Siddaramaiah would do so.

Congress MLC AC Srinivasa also expressed hope that Siddaramaiah would continue serving the people through politics for many more years, saying the people of Karnataka would never abandon him.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)