BENGALURU: Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Sunday announced that he will not contest the 2028 Karnataka assembly elections, citing his advancing age, declining health and what he described as the growing corruption in politics.In a post on X, Siddaramaiah, 79, said he would remain active in public life but had decided not to seek electoral office again.“Since the political field has become corrupted today, I will not contest in the 2028 assembly elections. However, remaining active in politics, I will continue to stand as a voice for the people’s hardships and joys,” he wrote.The Congress leader said people from his Varuna constituency had been urging him to contest again, but he had made up his mind not to fight any future elections.
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Explaining his decision, Siddaramaiah said he would be around 81 or 82 years old by the time the current government’s term ends and the next assembly election is due.“I am now 79 years old. Our government’s term still has one and a half years left. By then, I will be 81-82 years old. My health is not as robust as it used to be. It is no longer possible to work with the same enthusiasm as before,” he wrote.Siddaramaiah also reflected on his five-decade-long political career, saying 2028 would mark 50 years since he entered public life as a taluk board member in 1978.“I have seen both defeats and victories. But I take satisfaction in the fact that I have not acted against the principles I believed in, nor betrayed my conscience,” he said.The veteran leader also mourned what he called the changing nature of electoral politics.“The time has come where, if we contest elections, we would have to give money to the people. Politics today is thoroughly corrupted. Honest politics seems to have no leg to stand on. In this backdrop, I have arrived at the decision not to contest in future elections,” he wrote.Despite announcing his electoral retirement, Siddaramaiah said he would continue to work for the people.“For five decades, the people of the state have seen me as one among them and affectionately guided me. This debt weighs on me. Therefore, my future life too will be dedicated to public service,” the post read.
