Ballari: A Congress MLA from Kampli (ST) assembly constituency Mr J.N. Ganesh has claimed that more than 50 Congress party MLAs wish to see former Chief Minister Mr Siddaramaiah as CM once again.
"We (Congress legislators) are ready to sacrifice anything to see our leader Siddaramaiah becoming CM once again", he said.
A first-time Congress legislator, Mr Ganesh told reporters after attending the Kanaka Jayanthi celebrations in Kampli that "there is a possibility of changing the leadership of the JD(S)-Congress coalition government after the 2019 Lok Sabha general elections if the Congress legislators insist on this."
Reacting to a question that he could be one of the targets of Operation Kamala launched by BJP leaders, he rebutted the claim saying, "It's all speculation. Siddaramaiah is my high command and I will not change my loyalty".
The MLA also said that he had requested the JD(S)-Congress coalition government's coordination committee chairman Mr Siddaramaiah to give a Cabinet berth to one of the six Congress MLAs from Ballari district. The Cabinet is likely to be expanded on Dec. 22.
Siddaramaiah who was hoping for a second term after the May, 2018 Assembly elections after successfuly completing five years in office, had to forego his post to JD(S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy after the Congress tally in the polls fell from 120 plus seats to 78. The former CM was also defeated in Chamundeshwari in his hometown Mysuru though he won the Badami seat.
