Siddaramaiah confident on completing term, equals Devaraj Urs record as longest serving CM
Mysuru (PTI): Siddaramaiah, who on Tuesday equalled Devaraj Urs' record as the longest-serving chief minister of Karnataka, while expressing confidence about him completing the full five-year term, maintained that the Congress high command will have to decide on it.
He also said that he will discuss with the high command regarding the much-awaited cabinet rejig when they call him for discussion.
In his second term as chief minister, Siddaramaiah on Tuesday, January 6, equalled Devaraj Urs' record as the longest serving Chief Minister of Karnataka for 2,792 days, and will surpass it on January 7.
This unique record has come even as the power tussle within the ruling party has intensified amid speculations about a change in chief minister in the state, after the Congress government reached the halfway mark of its five-year term on November 20. The speculation was fueled by the "power-sharing" pact between Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar in 2023.
"I have not done politics to break any record; It's only a coincidence. I did not know how many years and days Devaraj Urs served as CM. Today because of the blessings of the people, I have got an opportunity to equal Devaraj Urs's record. Tomorrow it will be broken," Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
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Asked if he will create another record by completing the full five-year term, he said, it has to be decided by the Congress high command. "I don't know when the high command will decide."
To a question whether he has confidence about completing the full term and that the high command will decide in his favour, he said, "I have confidence. If I had no confidence, how would I have been the Chief Minister?... It all depends upon the high command's decision."
Regarding his meeting with AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal on Monday in Mysuru, Siddaramaiah said the Congress leader was on his way to Bengaluru from Wayanad via Mysuru, before heading for Delhi. "As he was in Mysuru and I too was here, we met."
Ruling out any discussion on cabinet reshuffle during the meeting, in response to a question as to when it can be expected, he said, "Let's see, let them (high command) call me (for discussion), I will discuss."
Urs, who is considered an icon of social justice and land reforms in the state, was a two-term chief minister -- for 2,113 days from March 20, 1972 to December 31, 1977, and for 679 days in his second term from February 28, 1978, to January 7, 1980.
Siddaramaiah, who is also the only CM after Urs to complete five years, was in the office for 1,829 days in his first term from May 13, 2013, to May 15, 2018. In his second term so far, since May 20, 2023, he has completed 963 days. Noting that he had never thought of any records, the CM said, the maximum he had thought of was becoming an MLA once.
"I became MLA, I got opportunities, I became minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Leader of Opposition, and became the Chief Minister too. I got opportunities, and I have performed the duties," he said.
"Both Devaraj Urs and I are from Mysuru, but we were from different periods. He (Urs) was there from 1972 to 1980. I have been CM for two terms from 2013-18 and from 2023 to till now. Further, whatever the high command decides," he added.
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Stating that his political journey has been so long has given him "satisfaction", the chief minister said, serving people is something that gives happiness to him. "Politics means doing justice for the poor, Dalits, backward, and doing their work," he said.
Asserting that he has grown politically with the blessings of the people, Siddaramaiah said, there is still inequality in society, and until the inequality goes and everyone gets social justice, his fight will continue, and he will continue to serve the people.
Siddaramaiah's fans celebrated their leader's accomplishment by organising feasts at several places, with dishes made out of his favourite "nati koli" (country chicken).
Reacting to this and to a question that he has become a brand ambassador of sorts for 'nati koli' dishes, Siddaramaiah said, he doesn't know about it, and who was organising feasts.
"I'm from a village and normally in our village nati koli dishes would be prepared when relatives come home, so I used to eat nati koli and ragi mudde (finger millet balls) earlier, now it is a bit less. Many people from villages like it as I did, but as I'm the chief minister, it is getting a bit of publicity," he added.
ಮಾಜಿ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ ದೇವರಾಜ್ ಅರಸು ಅವರ ದಾಖಲೆಯನ್ನು ಮುರಿಯಲೆಂದು ನಾನು ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಮಾಡಿಲ್ಲ. ಈ ದಾಖಲೆ ಕಾಕತಾಳೀಯವಾಗಿ ಆಗಿದೆ. ಜನರ ಆಶೀರ್ವಾದದಿಂದ ದೇವರಾಜ ಅರಸು ಅವರ ದಾಖಲೆಯನ್ನು ಮುರಿಯಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗಿದೆ. ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಯಾಗಿ ಈ ಅವಧಿಯನ್ನು ಪೂರ್ಣಗೊಳಿಸುವ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸವಿದೆ. ಈ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಪಕ್ಷದ ವರಿಷ್ಠರು ತೀರ್ಮಾನ ಮಾಡಬೇಕಷ್ಟೆ.
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) January 6, 2026
ನನ್ನ… pic.twitter.com/qcT5L9OdNL
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Goa Cong MP says he got ECI notice asking him to prove identity to retain name in electoral rolls
Panaji (PTI): Congress' Lok Sabha MP from South Goa Viriato Fernandes has alleged that he received a notice from the Election Commission of India (ECI), in which he was asked to appear before it with documents to prove his identity in order to retain his name in the electoral rolls.
Fernandes, a former Navy officer, said that subjecting an MP to this kind of scrutiny confirms concerns raised by the Opposition that the ECI's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was aimed at deleting the names of legitimate voters to prevent them from participating in the voting process.
The Chief Electoral Office (CEO) in Goa, however, later issued a clarification, saying the MP's enumeration form was placed under the "unmapped" category and a hearing notice was automatically generated and issued to him as mandatory details were not filled in.
In a social media post, Fernandes said, "Received notice from the ECI to appear with documents for proving my identity in order to retain his name in electoral roll. This notice is coming on the backdrop of ECI having subjected every contestant during last Lok Sabha polls in 2024, including me, with the highest level of scrutiny before clearing name for contesting the elections."
"Incidentally, I have been voting since 1989 after becoming eligible, thanks to late PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi Ji's initiative of giving voting rights for 18 year olds," he said.
He said he has travelled to Goa multiple times "from far off places of military posting" during his 26 years of service in the Indian Navy just to cast his vote, be it for Lok Sabha, assembly or zilla panchayat election.
"If a Member of Parliament can be subjected to this scrutiny, wonder the state of a common man, confirming concerns raised (by) Opposition parties and NGOs/Citizens about SIR being carried out by ECI to delete names of legitimate voters and prevent (them) from participating in the democratic process of voting," he added.
In the clarification issued later, the Goa CEO said, "During the course of the SIR, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) of Part No. 19 collected the enumeration form pertaining to the Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Captain Viriato Hipolito Mendonca Fernandes."
It was observed that the enumeration form did not contain mandatory details of the last SIR, including the assembly constituency number, part number and serial number in the electoral roll. As these essential particulars were not filled in, the BLO application could not automatically link the form with the existing electoral roll record, it said.
Accordingly, in the present case, the enumeration form was placed under the "unmapped" category by the system, and a hearing notice was generated and issued automatically as per the prescribed procedure, the CEO said, adding that the matter was under inquiry.
Received notice from ECI to appear with documents for proving my identity in order to retain my name in electoral roll. This notice is coming on the backdrop of ECI having subjected every contestant during last Lok Sabha polls in 2024 including me with the highest level of… pic.twitter.com/BMWrzw26yC
— Capt. Viriato Fernandes (@ViriatoFern) January 7, 2026
