'What's BJP's contribution...'?: Ex-Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah as he begins Varuna campaign

The election battle in Varuna seat has heated up with less than a month to the May 10 Karnataka Assembly elections as opposition leader Siddaramaiah and senior BJP minister V. Somanna are facing each other in the constituency.

In an ANI interview Siddaramaiah was asked about BJP putting up a fight against him in his home constituency. The former CM stated, “What's the contribution of BJP to Varuna constituency? People have understood that whatever development has taken place is because of me and my son."

#KarnatakaElection2023 | Mysuru: "What's the contribution of BJP to Varuna constituency? People have understood that whatever development has taken place is because of me and my son," says Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah pic.twitter.com/8yjmWuJZXg

— ANI (@ANI)

Siddaramaiah was compelled to visit his seat promptly on April 22 as a result of Somanna and the BJP's strong campaigning.

The opposition leader earlier stated that he does not need to campaign in Varuna. But on Saturday, he arrived at Varuna and spent the entire day campaigning from 11 am to 7 pm.

Siddaramaiah conducted his campaigning at Karya, Karepura, Hadya, Banooru, Tagadur, Chunchanahalli, and Dasanooru, among other places, as per his schedule. The day's campaigning came to a finish in Avatalapura. When Assembly seats were reorganised in the delimitation process in 2008, the Varuna seat was added.

Siddaramaiah's Varuna connection

Siddaramaiah has previously won elections from the Chamundeshwari Assembly seat in 1983, 1985, 1994, and 2004 before winning the Varuna seat.

The Senior Congress leader had contested in Varuna in 2008 and 2013 assembly elections in which he won both the times. Afterwards in the 2018 elections, his son Dr. Yathindra had contested and won the prestigious seat. 

BJP's take

In the district, the BJP is fighting collaboratively against the former CM Siddaramaiah. B.Y. Vijayendra, a popular politician in the Varuna district and son of the former chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa, had also campaigned for BJP candidate Somanna. 

Pratap Simha, a BJP member from Mysuru-Kodagu, noted that Siddaramaiah is "scared" of losing to BJP candidate Somanna in Varuna.

In reference to a statement made by Siddaramaiah, who had allegedly said he would go to the Varuna seat only to file papers, Pratap Simha said that after the BJP announced V. Somanna as its nominee for the Varuna seat, Siddaramaiah rushed to the constituency two days before he actually filed the papers and again visited Varuna (on Saturday).