Mysore/Mysuru: Varuna Constituency in Mysuru district, the native district of Chief Minister-designate Siddharamaiah, has once again proven to be auspicious for him as the senior Congress leader is set to become the Chief Minister for the second time.

According to villagers in Siddharamanahundi, Siddharamaiah’s birthplace, he is believed to have the blessings of Lord Siddarameshwara, whose temple is situated in Siddharamanahundi, falling within the Varuna segment. Siddharamaiah is a devoted follower of Lord Siddarameshwara, and the deity has consistently bestowed him with power, position and prominence.

After delimitation process

Siddharamaiah began contesting from the Varuna Assembly segment in 2008 after its formation due to delimitation. In the recent Assembly polls, he contested from Varuna for the third time. His son, Dr. Yathindra Siddharamaiah, also won from Varuna in 2018 when Siddu chose to contest from Chamundeshwari and Badami Constituencies.

After his first victory in 2008, Siddharamaiah became the Leader of the Opposition. In the subsequent 2013 Assembly polls, he became the Chief Minister when the Congress secured an absolute majority. He completed a full five-year term as Chief Minister. However, the Congress faced defeat in the 2018 polls when the party formed a coalition government with the JD(S).

The coalition later collapsed, and the BJP took over the government with the support of defectors from Congress and JD(S) in 2019, making Siddharamaiah the Leader of the Opposition once again.

 A rare achievement

In the 2023 Assembly polls, Siddharamaiah orchestrated the party’s election campaign, resulting in a resounding victory for Congress and catapulting Siddharamaiah to the Chief Minister’s position for the second time.

 This achievement is rare in Karnataka, with only one other leader, D. Devaraj Urs, having served as Chief Minister twice. Furthermore, Siddharamaiah is the second leader from Karnataka to have a full five-year term in his first stint as Chief Minister.

Siddharamaiah, who announced that the 2023 Assembly polls would be his last, secured a significant victory margin of 46,000 votes against the BJP candidate, former Housing Minister V. Somanna, who is not  from Varuna.

Constituency of good fortune

With this historic outcome, Siddharamaiah, hailing from a rural background, has emerged victorious three times from Varuna Constituency, while his son, Dr. Yathindra, represented it once from 2018 to 2023. This underscores the Constituency’s remarkable fortune for Siddharamaiah, as it has propelled him to the highest position in the State twice after his election.

Siddharamaiah entered State politics by successfully contesting from Chamundeshwari Constituency as an independent candidate in the 1983 polls. He went on to become a Minister and Deputy Chief Minister in different governments.

However, following delimitation, Siddharamaiah chose his home Constituency, Varuna, as his electoral battleground, where he has emerged victorious on three occasions. It can be said that both Chamundeshwari Constituency, where he embarked on his political journey and Varuna, which he currently represents, hold significant political significance for him.

In fact, it was in Chamundeshwari Constituency where Siddharamaiah experienced a political revival by contesting on a Congress ticket after leaving the JD(S) in the highly anticipated 2006 Assembly by-poll, which garnered national attention.