BANGALORE: Villagers of Kalstawadi, on the Mandya border, pitched a shamiyana in their village off busy the Mysore-Bangalore expressway and waited for four hours. They showed no signs of boredom or irritation — after all, they were waiting to welcome their leader.
As CM-designate Siddaramaiah reached his hometown, Mysore, there was euphoria in the air. An ecstatic Siddaramaiah got down from his SUV and interacted with the crowd, before leaving for Siddalingapura. When he was Chamundeshwari MLA, Siddaramaiah represented the villages on the city outskirts. He was in no hurry to leave the villages flanking the expressway.
As he entered Outer Ring Road junction , crackers greeted him, while his supporters sang praises ‘Siddaramaiah ge Jai’ . Traffic trudged at snail’s pace on the busy stretch for over 30 minutes. “I’m happy to be home. I’m a Mysorean and feel happy to be back,” he smiled.
Siddaramaiah will visit Chamundi Hills on Sunday.
Litterateurs meet CM-elect
A day after he was declared CM-elect, Siddaramaiah spent most part of Saturday in Bangalore, meeting litterateurs before proceeding to home turf Mysore.
He called on UR Ananthamurthy, Chandrashekhara Kambara and GS Shivarudrappa and extended an invitation to his swearing-in ceremony on Monday. “I felt I should meet writers and seek their guidance. I will also visit mutts and other religious places shortly,” Siddaramaiah said. He also visited KPCC president G Parameshwara’s residence , and former CM N Dharam Singh, who has been hospitalized.
His official residence on Kumara Krupa Road was swarming with supporters and well-wishers . Among those who came and personally wished him were managing director of Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE) Ashok Kheny, who won from Bidar South, and KJP functionary V Dhananjaya Kumar.
