Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that the Congress government in Karnataka will write to industries in Bengaluru to grant them three days’ leave so that voters from Bihar can exercise their franchise in the state elections scheduled to be held on November 6-11.
Shivakumar said this while addressing a Bihar Assembly meeting in the city on Sunday, where he also asked Bihar natives living in Bengaluru to vote for Mahagathbandhan, which includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and other parties.
“Trying to save your votes in Bihar”
“You all said I deserve a bigger post. This is not important to me. I will be happier if you all vote for Mahagathbandhan in Bihar. Nitish Kumar is at the faltering end of his political career, and Tejashwi Yadav has been announced as the chief ministerial candidate in Bihar,” Shivakumar said.
“Thousands of voters have been removed from the voter list in Bihar. We are trying to preserve your votes in Bihar. I appeal to you all to go to Bihar and vote for Mahagathbandhan. We will direct KRI (Federation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India), contractors and other organizations to declare a three-day holiday so that you all can go to Bihar to vote,” he added.
Shivakumar said people from Bihar played a major role in Bengaluru’s construction sector. His presentation before the Bihar Assembly comes amid growing concern in the state government over cabinet reshuffle, including to top posts, after the Bihar elections, as the Karnataka Congress government will complete two-and-a-half years of its term on November 20.
Only the high command can decide: Siddaramaiah on cabinet reshuffle
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has indicated that a reshuffle will take place in November, claiming that he has conveyed the need for it to the Congress high command even as Shivakumar hopes that he will be handed the mantle of chief minister as per the agreement reportedly reached between them when the government was formed in May 2023.
However, Siddaramaiah reacted sharply on Sunday when he was informed of the Bihar Assembly’s support for Shivakumar’s ascension to the chief minister’s post. “People will say many things. Only the party high command can make a statement. Did Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge say anything? The high command has to decide. I will talk to Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge after the Bihar elections.”
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With some of Siddaramaiah’s supporters saying on Sunday that he would remain chief minister for five years, Shivakumar responded that only the statements of the chief minister and his deputy would matter in the issue.
Siddaramaiah is believed to have the support of a majority of Congress members in Karnataka, although age is not on his side to lead the Congress in the next state elections in 2028, when he will turn 80. While Shivakumar lacks mass support, he is seen as an effective organizer in the Congress party.
(tags for translation) Karnataka
