Siddaramaiah's PM hope for Rahul Gandhi in 2024 after Karnataka mandate

Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Saturday hoped that Rahul Gandhi becomes the prime minister of the country in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after Basavaraj Bommai conceded defeat in the Karnataka Assembly Election 2023. "It is a mandate against Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and JP Nadda. PM Modi came to Karnataka 20 times. No PM in the past campaigned like this," Siddaramaiah who is a top contender for the CM post said.

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"This is a victory for a secular party!! People of Karnataka wanted a stable government that delivers as promised, and hence have given the mandate for Congress!!" Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Talking about the ramifications of the Karnataka results coming after a bitterly fought battle, Siddaramaiah said this is a stepping stone to the Lok Sabha election. "I hope all non-BJP parties come together and see that BJP is defeated and I also hope Rahul Gandhi may become the PM of the country," Siddaramaiah said.

Siddaramaiah vs DK Shivakumar

As the Congress is poised for a victory in Karnataka, the next challenge in front of the party is to choose one between Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar as the chief minister. Both DK Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah helmed the party's campaigning and are racing for the top post. The Congress may opt for the CM, and deputy CM provision to placate both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar which won't rule out the chances of disgruntlement however.

As Siddaramaiah in his first reaction to the Karnataka result remembered Rahul Gandhi, DK Shivakumar broke down and remembered the time when Sonia Gandhi visited him in jail in 2019 in connection with an alleged money laundering case. "I had promised Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi and party president Mallikarjun Kharge that I will deliver the state to their fold. When these BJP people put me in jail, I remember Sonia Gandhi came to meet me there. Such is the faith the party, the Gandhi family and the whole country bestowed on me," Shivakumar said.