Siddaramaiah requests Rahul Gandhi to contest 2019 elections from Karnataka

Former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has reached out to his party president Rahul Gandhi, requesting him to fight the upcoming Lok Sabha polls from the southern state.

The Congress president is reportedly going to fight the upcoming elections from two different constituencies. While Amethi seems a done deal, given he has won each of the previous three elections from there, the second constituency from where he will stand, if at all, is a mystery.

Amid the speculations, his party leader Siddaramaiah has suggested him to fight from Karnataka and follow the footsteps of his mother Sonia Gandhi and grandmother Indira Gandhi.

"Karnataka has always supported & encouraged @INCIndia leaders. It has been proved in case of Smt. Indira ji & Smt. Sonia ji. We also want our next Prime Minister of India Shri. @RahulGandhi to contest from Karnataka & herald new developmental paradigm," his Twitter post read.

Just over a month ago, sources had told Republic TV that the Congress president is opining to fight from two different seats, for which he has been given numerous options, owing to the fear or losing in Amethi.

READ: POLITICAL SCOOP: 'In Alliance There Will Be Give And Take', Says Siddaramaiah Revealing Reason Behind Giving Tumkuru Seat To JD(S)

Amethi is one of the two constituencies in Uttar Pradesh along with Rae Bareli that are historic bastions of the Congress party and the Gandhis. 

However, this time around, the party seems unsure about its president's success, and hence, has come up with three different parliamentary constituencies, out of which from two, he could fight the much-awaited 2019 elections.

Apart from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi may also contest the polls from either of Chhindwara - the fortress of newly-installed Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath - or Nanded in Maharashtra - another seat which is presently held by the Congress.

Sources have also mentioned that the party is considering the options of Punjab and Chandigarh from where Rahul Gandhi could contest. However, the final call from which seat the Congress president will contest is yet to be taken, apart from Amethi.