Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023, Siddaramaiah profile: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will contest the key Varuna, Mysore seat in the Karnataka Assembly as the state goes into polls on May 10. Varuna is among the total 224 constituencies and among the few key seats in the Assembly. 
 
Siddaramaiah is contesting the seat on an Indian National Congress (INC) ticket, against Chief Minister Basavaraj Somappa Bommai. 
 
Bommai, the state's 17th and current CM, is a senior BJP leader.

Who is Siddaramaiah?

Siddaramaiah, 75, is the leader of the opposition in the state assembly since December 2019. He resigned as Chief Minister in May 2018 after Congress lost majority in the state. 
 
He has served as chief minister for five years, from 2013 to 2018. He has served as deputy chief minister of the state on two occasions. 

Karnataka Election Results 2023: History of the Varuna seat

In the 2018 Karnataka Assembly polls, the INC's Yathindra Siddaramaiah defeated the BJP's T Basavaraju by a margin of 58,616 votes to win the seat. 
 
In the previous polls, in 2013, Siddaramaiah won the seat on an INC ticket. He defeated the Karnataka Janata Paksha's Kapu Siddalingaswamy.
 
In 2008, Siddaramaiah won the seat by defeating the BJP's L Revanasiddaiah.
 

Why is the Varuna seat important?

The outcome of the polls will be key in determining the future of the INC in the state.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Siddaramaiah family and the Varuna seat 

The Varuna assembly is an important seat for the former Chief Minister's family. Siddaramaiah has won the seat in Karnataka elections twice in the past, first in 2008 and and then in 2023. Also, his son Yathindra won the constituency in 2018. 

Karnataka Assembly polls: When will the counting of votes take place?

The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 13, 2023.
 
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