2023 poll in the bag: Upbeat Siddu

NT Exclusive

In a wide-ranging interview, former Cong CM lays bare his strategy.

Shyam Sundar Vattam | NT

Bengaluru: “Why 130 seats, we are expecting to win at least 135.” On the face of it, the one liner that Congress leader Siddaramaiah threw at us when he met with News Trail at his official bungalow ‘Kumarakrupa East’, could be seen as the kind of bluster that is woven into a politician’s DNA. But Siddaramaiah’s political acumen is legendary as is his propensity to call a spade a spade.

Exuding confidence and the sparkle clearly back in his eye, he said, “Take it from me; Congress will easily get 130 to 135 seats out of the total of 225 seats, and our performance will be good in the very same districts where the BJP had won in previous elections,” adding that the same held true in JD(S) bastions, particularly Mandya. His forecast - the BJP down to 60-70 seats, the JD(S) to 15-20 seats. Firing a salvo at the BJP, which he said stood no chance of coming back to power, he also claimed that as many as eight to nine JD(S) lawmakers were in touch with him. “But I am not going to disclose their names now, not till everything materializes,” he said, while closing the door to any re-entry for the 14 Congress MLAs who crossed over to the BJP and brought the Congress-JD(S) government down. After that scorching indictment of the party’s two rivals, he laid bare the reason behind the BJP’s Hanagal debacle which he laid at the door of the anti-incumbency wave sweeping across the state.

Ensconced in his favourite official bungalow in which he had stayed during his earlier stint as Opposition Leader between 2008 and 2013, sipping a hot cuppa, the political warhorse went further, critiquing the Basavaraj Bommai led BJP government in the state for its indifferent governance and using Covid-19 as a cover for its ineptitude.

“The ruling party has used the excuse of the Covid-19 pandemic for the negative growth which is not true,"  he said, asking the government to account for the Rs 5,000-6,000 crores it claims to have spent of the Rs 2.3 lakh crore budget. Preparing to kick off a gruelling padayatra in early January, he admits 2023 could be his last election, his last hurrah. But make no mistake, this is one Congressman, who intends to leave a lasting impression.

News Trail: How are the preparations for the 2023 Assembly elections going?

Siddaramaiah: We have already started our preparations and will kick off from January 2022 as there’s barely one year left before the Assembly election. I will be embarking on a state-wide tour from January, covering all the 225 Assembly constituencies well in advance as it will be difficult for me to campaign in all the seats once the election dates are announced. Being one of the star campaigners, I am called for each and every constituency for the campaigning as the candidates feel that their luck would change after my visit. It is their belief and I don’t want to disappoint them. For this reason, I am kicking off the state-wide tour from January. Already, our party has switched into poll mode and will not sit back till we come back to power in the state.

In 2018, the performance of Congress party was not up to the mark as it lost heavily in the Lingayat dominated districts. How many seats do you think the Congress could win in the 2023 polls?

Take it from me; Congress will easily get 130 to 135 seats out of the total 225 seats. Our performance will be good in the districts where BJP had won in previous elections. Our party has made inroads into the strong bastions of both the BJP and Janata Dal (secular) and their fortress would be seized by our party. According to me, BJP may win 60-70 seats and the JDS may win 15 to 20 seats. In Mandya, the Congress which had been whitewashed in 2018 polls, we will win back all those seats in the coming Assembly polls.

Do you think BJP will come back to power in Karnataka?

No chance. With what face will they go before the electorate to seek votes? What have they done in the last two and a half years? There has been no governance in the State. The revenue receipts have hit an all-time low due to total mismanagement of funds. The BJP government which had presented Rs 2.3 lakh crore claimed to have spent Rs 5,000 crore to Rs 6,000 crore on the Covid management but it is not ready to give an account for the purchases they have made. The ruling party gives the excuse of the Covid-19 pandemic for the negative growth which is not true. Corruption has been rampant in this government and nothing happens without paying the bribe. Chief Minister Basavaraja Bommai cannot bring the party back to power in Karnataka.

Former lea