Brash & bold Siddaramaiah realises life-time ambition

Defeat of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara in the May 5 Assembly elections made things much easier for him

Rustic in appearance at times, outspoken Siddaramaiah is not known to mince words and hide his ambitions.

And whenever some ruling BJP members tried to taunt him over his ambition, Siddaramaiah, Leader of Opposition in the outgoing Assembly, used to get aggressive and declare without hesitation that he would become Chief Minister.

Today, he was proved right after being elected CLP leader and becoming Chief Minister-designate. Luck also seems to have played its part. The shock defeat of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara in the May 5 Assembly elections made things that much easier for him.

With better hold among the legislators, Siddaramaiah, who has the distinction of presenting as many as seven state budgets as Finance Minister, could pip veteran Congress leader and Union Labour and Employment Minister M Mallikarjuna Kharge in a straight contest.

He narrowly missed the Chief Minister's "gaddi" in 1996 after the incumbent H D Deve Gowda went on to become Prime Minister. Siddaramaiah, who hails from Kuruba community, the third largest, was pipped by J H Patel. Both under Deve Gowda and Patel, he served as Finance Minister.

After the split of Janata Dal as JDU and JDS, he sided with the latter headed by Deve Gowda and became President of the party's state unit.

A product of "Janatha Pariwar", influenced as he was by socialism advocated by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, he bade adieu to his career as an advocate and entered political field.