Siddaramaiah Announces Political Exit From Elections, Says He Won't Contest 2028 Karnataka Polls

Veteran Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced that he will not contest the 2028 Karnataka Assembly elections, saying advancing age and the growing corruption in politics have convinced him to step away from electoral contests.

Making the announcement while sharing remarks from a private event held in Mandya district, Siddaramaiah said he would continue to remain active in public life despite retiring from contesting elections. He stressed that his commitment to raising issues affecting ordinary people would remain unchanged.

Describing the current political climate as "deeply polluted," the Congress Working Committee member said honest politics has become increasingly difficult to sustain. He added that the nature of elections has changed significantly, claiming that candidates are now often expected to spend money to secure votes, unlike in the past when public support alone was enough to win elections.

The former Chief Minister said he is currently 79 years old and expects to be around 81 or 82 by the time the next Assembly elections are held. While the Congress government still has around one-and-a-half years left in office, he acknowledged that age and health could limit his ability to campaign and serve with the same energy in the future.

Siddaramaiah also revealed that people from his Varuna constituency have been urging him to contest once again, but he has firmly decided against seeking another electoral mandate.

The announcement comes just weeks after Siddaramaiah stepped down as Karnataka Chief Minister on May 28, following the Congress high command's decision to hand over the leadership to D K Shivakumar. After resigning, he had declined the party's offer of a Rajya Sabha seat, making it clear that he wished to remain involved in Karnataka politics rather than shift to national politics.

Reflecting on his nearly five-decade-long political career, Siddaramaiah said he entered public life in 1978 as a Taluk Board member and has experienced both victories and defeats without compromising his principles or conscience.

Although he is stepping away from contesting elections, Siddaramaiah reiterated that he is not retiring from politics. Instead, he said he intends to dedicate the rest of his life to public service, continuing to speak for the people and work for their welfare.