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Mysuru, March 25 : Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday said he will remain in politics, but the next election will most likely be his last. “Most likely the next election will be the last I will be contesting, but I will remain in politics,” he told reporters at his native village Siddaramanahundi. This is not for the first time that Siddaramaiah has made such comments. In 2013 assembly election, he had said that it would be his last election, but was appointed the chief minister after elections. Ahead of 2018 too, the Leader of the Opposition had made such an announcement, but took charge as chairman of the coalition coordination committee of JDS-Congress government led by HD Kumaraswamy. Responding to a query, Siddaramaiah said the Congress chief ministerial candidate for 2023 Karnataka election will be decided by the party high command and he would obey it. However, Siddaramaiah has on more than one occasion made known his ambition to don chief minister’s mantle for the second time through his political maneuverings. This has triggered a war between him and DK Shivakumar, the KPCC President, which also reached the Congress High Command. AICC Vice President Rahul Gandhi had to intervene and bring a truce between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar. However, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly is yet to decide on the constituency from where he will contest the next election. “My well-wishers and party workers are asking me to contest from one of constituencies like Varuna, Hunsur, Chamarajpet, Badami, Kolar, Hebbal, Koppal and Chamundeshwari. I am yet to make a decision on it,” he added. Having lost the Chamundeshwari seat in 2018, Siddaramaiah said he would not contest from there anymore. He had lost to JDS candidate GT Deve Gowda by a margin of 36,042 plus votes. He however won the Badami seat by defeating Transport Minister B Sriramulu by a margin of 1,696 votes. Badami was the second seat from where Siddaramaiah fought after the party leaders warned him of his defeat in 2018. Siddaramaiah had contested from Chamundeshwari constituency eight times and won five times and lost thrice. In 2008, Siddaramaiah contested from neighbouring Varuna following delimitation. In the last election, he contested from Chamundeshwari after leaving the seat for his son Dr Yatindra. BDN RKM