Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah announced on Monday he will contest from Kolar constituency in the upcoming state assembly elections. He, however, added that the final decision is in the hands of the high command. "This is subject to approval of the high command," the Congress leader said this while speaking at a rally in Kolar. Currently, he is representing Badami in Bagalakote district.

The Karnataka Assembly elections 2023 are likely to be held in April-May.

Siddaramaiah recently stroked a controversy by calling Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai a puppy before Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He had said: "CM Bommai and others (Karnataka BJP leaders) are like puppies in front of PM Modi. You all shiver in front of him." Bommai had then hit back, saying, Siddaramaiah’s statement mirrors his personality.

Now, A book titled 'Siddaramaiah's Real Dreams' has sparked a political debate, with the Congress ban of the "BJP-backed book", News 18 reported.

#BreakingNews | #Karnataka: The book 'Siddaramaiah's Real Dreams' triggers controversy; Congress orders for ban on the BJP-backed book@reethu_journo shares details with @GrihaAtul | #Congress #BJP #Siddaramaiah #TipuSultan pic.twitter.com/FTlFVhKobz

— News18 (@CNNnews18) January 9, 2023

The 224-member Karnataka Legislative Assembly is currently under the control of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is led by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

The BJP holds 120 seats while the largest opposition Congress has 72 seats. The other major party is the Janata Dal (Secular) with 30 seats. The BJP received 36.2 percent of the vote share compared to the runner-up Congress’s 38 percent in the 2018 election.

First Published:Jan 9, 2023 3:26 PM IST