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Siddaramaiah, 79, announces retirement from electoral politics
Karnataka’s former chief minister Siddaramaiah, 79, said on July 25 in Mandya that he will not contest future elections. “I have arrived at the decision not to contest in future elections,” he…
The Story in Brief
Karnataka’s former chief minister Siddaramaiah, 79, said on July 25 in Mandya that he will not contest future elections. “I have arrived at the decision not to contest in future elections,” he told a gathering, citing age and failing health. His move comes nearly two months after he stepped down as chief minister, making way for D.K. Shivakumar.
Siddaramaiah, who began his political career in 1978 as a taluk board member, led the Congress to a landslide victory in Karnataka in 2023. The veteran is best remembered for his defiant stand against the Supreme Court in 2016 over Cauvery water sharing, when he refused to release water to Tamil Nadu and won support across party lines.
The Indian Opinion
Opposition parties may paint Siddaramaiah’s exit as a sign of Congress infighting, but the man himself has framed it as a principled choice. The real test lies ahead for D.K. Shivakumar, who must now hold together the faction-ridden Karnataka unit without Siddaramaiah’s heft. Can he match his predecessor’s ability to convert a crisis, like the Cauvery defiance, into a political asset?
Source: frontline.thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
