He was thrown out of the JD(S) in 2005 for anti-party activities following his sharp differences with its leadership over HD Kumaraswamy's growing clout in the party.

Twelve years down the line, Siddaramaiah, the 69-year-old leader from the backward Kuruba community, today offered Karnataka's chief ministership to his political foe Kumaraswamy whose party finished a poor third with barely 37 seats in its kitty.

Siddaramaiah suffered a humiliating defeat in Chamundeshwari where he lost to GT Deve Gowda of the JD(S) by over 36,000 votes, but managed to win Badami by a slender margin of 1,696 votes against BJP's B Sreeramulu, a sitting saffron party MP and close aide of the controversial Reddy brothers.

Despite being considered an "outsider" by a section of the Karnataka Congress for his socialist roots, Siddaramaiah became the first chief minister since Devraj Urs (1972-77) to complete a full five-year term in office.

Born into a poor farming family in Siddaramanahundi village in 1948, Siddaramaiah, the second of five siblings, did not have formal education initially, and joined school in the 5th grade.

Overcoming adversity, he did his BSc and obtained a degree in law. He practised law and even taught it for a while in Mysuru.

Siddaramaiah, who goes by the single name, joined politics under the influence of Nanjunda Swamy, a farmer leader who campaigned against agricultural patenting by multinational corporations.

He made his debut in the Assembly in 1983 from Chamundeshwari constituency on a Lok Dal ticket. He later joined the Janata Dal.

Admired for his canny political sense and his rustic, down to earth characteristics, Siddaramaiah climbed up the ladder in the Janata Dal, and served as minister in the party's governments. He also served as deputy chief minister twice.

A 7-term legislator, Siddaramaiah followed his mentor H D Deve Gowda after the Janata Dal split and the former prime minister formed the JD(S).

Siddaramaiah later floated his own party-- All India Progressive Janata Dal--following his expulsion from the JD (S). He had irreconcilable differences with Deve Gowda over the growing influence of his son H D Kumaraswamy in the party.

The expulsion came when Siddaramaiah started actively particiating in the AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) movement. Castes and communities constituting the AHINDA were considered the bedrock of the Congress's support base in Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah later merged his party with the Congress.

In the 2006 Assembly elections, Siddaramaiah contested from Chamundeshwari on Congress ticket and won by a wafer thin margin of 257 votes against the JD(S) candidate. However, he had exacted a sweet revenge.

He was appointed chairman of the publicity committee of the Congress in the 2008 Assembly polls, which the BJP won. He was then appointed the Leader of the Opposition, a reflection of his growing clout in the Congress.

The BJP's stint in power was marred by intra-party feuds and allegations of corruption.

When the BJP lost the 2013 polls, Siddaramaiah was appointed the chief minister.

Known for taking bold decisions, Siddaramaiah decided to celebrate 'Tipu Jayanti', a move denounced by the BJP as "appeasement politics". His government also took the controversial decision of recommending religious minority status for the influential Lingayat community in the run up to the polls. 
He launched a plethora of populist schemes like the Annabhagya for free distribution of rice, Ksheeradhare under which subsidy was given for milk, Vidyasiri that made available hostel facilities for students, and many others.

The Siddaramaiah government also substantially raised the budgetary allocations for Dalits.

These populist measures were expected to effectively insulate Siddaramaiah against allegations of corruption as Modi mounted an aggressive assault, calling him a "Seedha rupaiah government" and "10 per cent commission government".

Apparently, the charges did stick.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

He was thrown out of the JD(S) in 2005 for anti-party activities following his sharp differences with its leadership over HD Kumaraswamy's growing clout in the party

He was thrown out of the JD(S) in 2005 for anti-party activities following his sharp differences with its leadership over HD Kumaraswamy's growing clout in the party. Twelve years down the line, Siddaramaiah, the 69-year-old leader from the backward Kuruba community, today offered Karnataka's chief ministership to his political foe Kumaraswamy whose party finished a poor third with barely 37 seats in its kitty. Siddaramaiah suffered a humiliating defeat in Chamundeshwari where he lost to GT Deve Gowda of the JD(S) by over 36,000 votes, but managed to win Badami by a slender margin of 1,696 votes against BJP's B Sreeramulu, a sitting saffron party MP and close aide of the controversial Reddy brothers. Despite being considered an "outsider" by a section of the Karnataka Congress for his socialist roots, Siddaramaiah became the first chief minister since Devraj Urs (1972-77) to complete a full five-year term in office. Born into a poor farming family in Siddaramanahundi village in 1948, Siddaramaiah, the second of five siblings, did not have formal education initially, and joined school in the 5th grade. Overcoming adversity, he did his BSc and obtained a degree in law. He practised law and even taught it for a while in Mysuru. Siddaramaiah, who goes by the single name, joined politics under the influence of Nanjunda Swamy, a farmer leader who campaigned against agricultural patenting by multinational corporations. He made his debut in the Assembly in 1983 from Chamundeshwari constituency on a Lok Dal ticket. He later joined the Janata Dal. Admired for his canny political sense and his rustic, down to earth characteristics, Siddaramaiah climbed up the ladder in the Janata Dal, and served as minister in the party's governments. He also served as deputy chief minister twice. A 7-term legislator, Siddaramaiah followed his mentor H D Deve Gowda after the Janata Dal split and the former prime minister formed the JD(S). Siddaramaiah later floated his own party-- All India Progressive Janata Dal--following his expulsion from the JD (S). He had irreconcilable differences with Deve Gowda over the growing influence of his son H D Kumaraswamy in the party. The expulsion came when Siddaramaiah started actively particiating in the AHINDA (Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes and Dalits) movement. Castes and communities constituting the AHINDA were considered the bedrock of the Congress's support base in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah later merged his party with the Congress. In the 2006 Assembly elections, Siddaramaiah contested from Chamundeshwari on Congress ticket and won by a wafer thin margin of 257 votes against the JD(S) candidate. However, he had exacted a sweet revenge. He was appointed chairman of the publicity committee of the Congress in the 2008 Assembly polls, which the BJP won. He was then appointed the Leader of the Opposition, a reflection of his growing clout in the Congress. The BJP's stint in power was marred by intra-party feuds and allegations of corruption. When the BJP lost the 2013 polls, Siddaramaiah was appointed the chief minister. Known for taking bold decisions, Siddaramaiah decided to celebrate 'Tipu Jayanti', a move denounced by the BJP as "appeasement politics". His government also took the controversial decision of recommending religious minority status for the influential Lingayat community in the run up to the polls. He launched a plethora of populist schemes like the Annabhagya for free distribution of rice, Ksheeradhare under which subsidy was given for milk, Vidyasiri that made available hostel facilities for students, and many others. The Siddaramaiah government also substantially raised the budgetary allocations for Dalits. These populist measures were expected to effectively insulate Siddaramaiah against allegations of corruption as Modi mounted an aggressive assault, calling him a "Seedha rupaiah government" and "10 per cent commission government". Apparently, the charges did stick.

Once expelled from JD(S), Siddaramaiah now offers crown to foe Kumaraswamy

Despite their electoral loss, the Congress has been able to upset the BJP’s applecart by ensuring that Kumaraswamy becomes the Chief Minister of the state. BJP has cried foul saying that it is unethical but the fact that BJP made governments in Manipur, Meghalaya and Goa does not cut much ice in the public domain. Despite the loss, the Congress by allowing JD(S) to step in will allow regional parties to further collaborate with each other closely. The case in example is the way the SP and the BSP cooperated with each other during the Phulpur and the Gorakhpur by-elections. It will also boost the morale of the Congress which has been outmanoeuvred and outwitted by BJP continuously in the last four years. It will help them retain the state in partnership and ensure that the party prepares well for the upcoming assembly election in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The success will add shine to Rahul Gandhi’s leadership for being proactive and ready with a plan B which was not done in the case of Goa and Manipur. 
&nbsp; 
That is where the bright side to this story ends as one doesn’t know till when the honeymoon between the JD(S) and the Congress will last. The present result shows that the JD(S) did well at the expense of the Congress Party in Mysore Karnataka. 
&nbsp; 
The Congress despite increasing its voter base in the state received less seats than the BJP. It also lost large number of rural seats and the party did not do well in coastal, central and Hyderabad Karnataka. 
&nbsp; 
The downside to the development is that the BJP can take the high moral ground and cry injustice. Karnataka being the bigger state will draw more attention than Manipur and Goa. BJP did very well in the rural areas and the 100+ seats that they got show that Prime Minister Narendra Modi still has the capacity to turn elections around. Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not politically function as prime minister despite being the single largest party as other regional parties ganged up against him. It was 1999, he was able to set the stage after being PM for 13 days and 13 months as the Opposition realised that the more they ganged up against him, the more sympathy he generated. On top of it, he was able to build an umbrella coalition which the Congress did not possess. 
&nbsp; 
The Karnataka elections have shown that the BJP is organisationally powerful and understands that it needs to expand in areas to compensate for a saturated performance in Western and Northern India in the 2014 elections. There are places where they have succeeded but in the East and deep South, they have not been able to cut much ice. 
&nbsp; 
Despite the Congress being weak, it will embolden regional parties to come together and tie up against the BJP. This could pose to be the real challenge for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It can put the Congress in a secondary role but urgency to put the BJP in a corner to survive can lead to the party's political isolation. In politics, position of strength can also create isolation as other political units can band to prevent overt hegemony. This should remain the BJP’s big fear.

Rajiv Gandhi faced a similar situation. The only difference is that the man opposing him was VP Singh who was the toast of the year and the man defending the fort was Rajiv Gandhi who was reeling under the charge of corruption. In 2019, there is no such face or leadership in the Opposition. Neither is there any consensus but political climate does exist for everyone to come together to fight an ever-expanding BJP. 
&nbsp;

Despite their electoral loss, the Congress has been able to upset the BJP’s applecart by ensuring that Kumaraswamy becomes the Chief Minister of the state

Despite their electoral loss, the Congress has been able to upset the BJP’s applecart by ensuring that Kumaraswamy becomes the Chief Minister of the state. BJP has cried foul saying that it is unethical but the fact that BJP made governments in Manipur, Meghalaya and Goa does not cut much ice in the public domain. Despite the loss, the Congress by allowing JD(S) to step in will allow regional parties to further collaborate with each other closely. The case in example is the way the SP and the BSP cooperated with each other during the Phulpur and the Gorakhpur by-elections. It will also boost the morale of the Congress which has been outmanoeuvred and outwitted by BJP continuously in the last four years. It will help them retain the state in partnership and ensure that the party prepares well for the upcoming assembly election in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The success will add shine to Rahul Gandhi’s leadership for being proactive and ready with a plan B which was not done in the case of Goa and Manipur. That is where the bright side to this story ends as one doesn’t know till when the honeymoon between the JD(S) and the Congress will last. The present result shows that the JD(S) did well at the expense of the Congress Party in Mysore Karnataka. The Congress despite increasing its voter base in the state received less seats than the BJP. It also lost large number of rural seats and the party did not do well in coastal, central and Hyderabad Karnataka. The downside to the development is that the BJP can take the high moral ground and cry injustice. Karnataka being the bigger state will draw more attention than Manipur and Goa. BJP did very well in the rural areas and the 100+ seats that they got show that Prime Minister Narendra Modi still has the capacity to turn elections around. Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not politically function as prime minister despite being the single largest party as other regional parties ganged up against him. It was 1999, he was able to set the stage after being PM for 13 days and 13 months as the Opposition realised that the more they ganged up against him, the more sympathy he generated. On top of it, he was able to build an umbrella coalition which the Congress did not possess. The Karnataka elections have shown that the BJP is organisationally powerful and understands that it needs to expand in areas to compensate for a saturated performance in Western and Northern India in the 2014 elections. There are places where they have succeeded but in the East and deep South, they have not been able to cut much ice. Despite the Congress being weak, it will embolden regional parties to come together and tie up against the BJP. This could pose to be the real challenge for the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. It can put the Congress in a secondary role but urgency to put the BJP in a corner to survive can lead to the party's political isolation. In politics, position of strength can also create isolation as other political units can band to prevent overt hegemony. This should remain the BJP’s big fear. Rajiv Gandhi faced a similar situation. The only difference is that the man opposing him was VP Singh who was the toast of the year and the man defending the fort was Rajiv Gandhi who was reeling under the charge of corruption. In 2019, there is no such face or leadership in the Opposition. Neither is there any consensus but political climate does exist for everyone to come together to fight an ever-expanding BJP.

Congress does to BJP in Karnataka what latter did to it in Goa

With both the BJP and the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) staking claim to form the government in Karnataka, constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap said on Tuesday that it is entirely up to the Governor to appoint anyone he thinks proper.

Subhash Kashyap added that the governor is expected to be guided by his assessment of who is likely to command majority support in the house.

No party has got a clear majority in the assembly elections. Official EC trends at the moment say the BJP has won or is leading in 104 seats, the Congress in 78, the JD(S)+ in 37, and Others 3.&nbsp;

&nbsp;BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa has met the governor and asked for a chance to prove his majority.&nbsp; The JD(S) has also told the governor it would form the government with Congress support. The Congress and the JD(S) have joined hands with the former agreeing to give "unconditional support" to JD(S) chief Deve Gowda's son HD Kumaraswamy as chief minister of a coalition government.

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No party has got a clear majority in the assembly elections. The BJP is ahead in 106 of the state's 224 seats, six short of a clear majority. The Congress is ahead in 77 and Deve Gowda's JD(S) in 37 seats

With both the BJP and the Janata Dal Secular (JDS) staking claim to form the government in Karnataka, constitutional expert Subhash Kashyap said on Tuesday that it is entirely up to the Governor to appoint anyone he thinks proper. Subhash Kashyap added that the governor is expected to be guided by his assessment of who is likely to command majority support in the house. No party has got a clear majority in the assembly elections. Official EC trends at the moment say the BJP has won or is leading in 104 seats, the Congress in 78, the JD(S)+ in 37, and Others 3. BJP leader BS Yeddyurappa has met the governor and asked for a chance to prove his majority. The JD(S) has also told the governor it would form the government with Congress support. The Congress and the JD(S) have joined hands with the former agreeing to give "unconditional support" to JD(S) chief Deve Gowda's son HD Kumaraswamy as chief minister of a coalition government. #WATCH Constitutional expert S Kashyap says 'Entirely up to Guv to appoint anyone he thinks proper. He's expected to be guided by his assessment of who is likely to command majority support in the House.' pic.twitter.com/v4Z7Y6HjiJ — ANI (@ANI) May 15, 2018 ×

Karnataka results: What happens next will depend on Governor, says constitutional expert

With the BJP emerging as the single-largest party in Karnataka, its chief Amit Shah today asserted that the party's winning streak will continue and it will win all elections from now on including the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

The BJP chief, who was speaking in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other senior leaders of the party, said the state had shown trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clean governance" and rejected the Congress' "divisive politics".

"Congress used the politics of caste to divide the people and tried to incite Dalits on SC/ST Act in Karnataka," Amit Shah said while addressing BJP workers at the party headquarters in New Delhi.

Accusing the Congress of using money and muscle power in Karnataka, Amit Shah said that the party was rejected by the people of the state.

The Congress and the JD(S) have joined hands and staked claim to form government.

Official EC trends at the moment say the BJP has won or is leading in 104 seats, the Congress in 78, the JD(S)+ in 37, and Others 3.&nbsp;

The majority mark is 112 in the 222-member Assembly. Voting for two seats is yet to take place.

Shah today dispatched three Union ministers, including Prakash Javadekar, J P Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan, to Karnataka to talk to potential allies to cobble up a majority for forming a government in the state.

(With inputs from PTI)

With the BJP emerging as the single-largest party in Karnataka, its chief Amit Shah today asserted that the party will win all elections from now on including the Lok Sabha polls in 2019

With the BJP emerging as the single-largest party in Karnataka, its chief Amit Shah today asserted that the party's winning streak will continue and it will win all elections from now on including the Lok Sabha polls in 2019. The BJP chief, who was speaking in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other senior leaders of the party, said the state had shown trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clean governance" and rejected the Congress' "divisive politics". "Congress used the politics of caste to divide the people and tried to incite Dalits on SC/ST Act in Karnataka," Amit Shah said while addressing BJP workers at the party headquarters in New Delhi. Accusing the Congress of using money and muscle power in Karnataka, Amit Shah said that the party was rejected by the people of the state. The Congress and the JD(S) have joined hands and staked claim to form government. Official EC trends at the moment say the BJP has won or is leading in 104 seats, the Congress in 78, the JD(S)+ in 37, and Others 3. The majority mark is 112 in the 222-member Assembly. Voting for two seats is yet to take place. Shah today dispatched three Union ministers, including Prakash Javadekar, J P Nadda and Dharmendra Pradhan, to Karnataka to talk to potential allies to cobble up a majority for forming a government in the state. (With inputs from PTI)

BJP's winning streak will continue: Amit Shah

As results of the Karnataka assembly elections started pouring in, a Congress delegation which had gone to the Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's house did not get entry and were turned back.

The delegation was led by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwara, ANI reported.

Meanwhile, JD(S) leader Danish Ali confirmed that the Congress had extended its support to the party which had accepted it. The JD(S) leader said that both parties would together meet the Governor after 5:30 pm today.

"JD(S) had always maintained that HD Kumaraswamy will be CM. As per results, we're doing everything to keep BJP out of power. Congress has extended its support, we have accepted it. We will jointly go to meet Governor after 5.30 pm today," Danish Ali said.

The JD(S) and the Congress have agreed on HD Kumaraswamy as the next chief minister should they form the government in Karnataka, news reports said Tuesday.

Siddaramaiah has submitted his resignation to the Karnataka Governor.

Karnataka has a total of 224 assembly seats, but only 222 seats went to the polls this election. (Voting was postponed in two seats.)

The halfway mark is 112 seats.

The BJP is leading in 106 seats, the Congress in 75, the JD(S)+ in 38, and Others 3, Official Election Commission trends at the moment state.

That would give the JD(S)-Congress a total of 113 seats.

JD(S) leader Danish Ali has confirmed that the Congress had extended its support to the party which had accepted it

As results of the Karnataka assembly elections started pouring in, a Congress delegation which had gone to the Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala's house did not get entry and were turned back. The delegation was led by Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president G Parameshwara, ANI reported. Meanwhile, JD(S) leader Danish Ali confirmed that the Congress had extended its support to the party which had accepted it. The JD(S) leader said that both parties would together meet the Governor after 5:30 pm today. "JD(S) had always maintained that HD Kumaraswamy will be CM. As per results, we're doing everything to keep BJP out of power. Congress has extended its support, we have accepted it. We will jointly go to meet Governor after 5.30 pm today," Danish Ali said. The JD(S) and the Congress have agreed on HD Kumaraswamy as the next chief minister should they form the government in Karnataka, news reports said Tuesday. Siddaramaiah has submitted his resignation to the Karnataka Governor. Karnataka has a total of 224 assembly seats, but only 222 seats went to the polls this election. (Voting was postponed in two seats.) The halfway mark is 112 seats. The BJP is leading in 106 seats, the Congress in 75, the JD(S)+ in 38, and Others 3, Official Election Commission trends at the moment state. That would give the JD(S)-Congress a total of 113 seats.

Karnataka assembly elections: Earlier Congress delegation turned back from Governor's house