Although the BJP in Karnataka has announced its Chief Ministerial candidate for the upcoming Assembly Elections, the Congress has only painted a picture of several aspirants fighting for the CM’s chair if the party comes to power.
On Tuesday, Former CM of Karnataka and Union Minister Sadananda Gowda took a dig at All India Congress Committee President Rahul Gandhi for not disclosing the party’s CM face.
“The BJP has reiterated that its CM candidate is BS Yeddyurappa. In the Congress house, there are three doors. Dr G Parameshwara is in the first door, Mallikarjun Kharge tripped over the second door after his son announced his aspiration and from the third door, Siddaramaiah has said he will be the CM. Rahul speak the truth, who will be the Congress’ CM candidate?” Sadananda Gowda said in a tweet.
Gowda’s tweet comes as a reaction to Siddaramaiah’s answer to a question about who the Congress’ next CM candidate will be. On Monday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had said that “anyone could dream of becoming the CM”.
“Can we stop anyone from dreaming? Even my son may dream of becoming CM.,” Siddaramaiah had said while speaking to reporters in Mysuru.
Siddaramaiah’s reaction came a day after IT, BT and Tourism Minister Priyank Kharge said that he wished to see his father – Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge as the Chief Minister of Karnataka.
“I won’t go against the party's wishes. But as a son, I wish to see my father as the CM of this state. We are the party's loyal soldiers, we will do what our party wishes,” Priyank Kharge had said on Sunday.
“My father missed the chance of becoming CM in the past by a whisker. Even after this he has never indulged in any anti-party activity. Just like me, there are many people across Karnataka who wish to see him as CM,” Kharge junior had said.
Sources in Congress say that the three candidates aspiring for the CM post have already begun talks with various party leaders to gather their support.
“In the end, all leaders will vote for the respective aspirants and whoever has the majority is usually chosen. There have been times when the high command may decide to not go by the voting system but generally this is the method. Now Siddaramaiah, Parameshwara and Mallikarjun Kharge have started wooing leaders so that they will vote for them in the end. Last time Parameshwara was not chosen as the CM not only because he lost from his constituency but because Siddaramaiah won by a sweeping majority when party leaders voted to decide who should be the CM,” the source added.