Mysuru: Virtually admitting that the Congress may fall short of a majority in the Assembly polls and maybe ruling himself out of the race in such a situation, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said it was fine if the party decides to have a Dalit chief minister.
His statement has fuelled speculation that veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge or KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar could be the CM choice if the Congress falls short of the required numbers and is forced to strike a pact with the JD(S) to form a coalition government.
This comment is also in sharp contrast to the stance taken by Siddaramaiah throughout the poll campaign that he would become CM again though the final decision is left to the Congress high command.
“If the high command wants to make a Dalit the CM, I have no problem with that. I will ask them to go ahead. I am not against anybody. But MLAs have to give their opinion and the high command has to agree. It can’t happen forcefully, if that happens, they can’t run the government. I have completed five years today.”
