Mysuru: Hitting back at the State BJP President B.S. Yeddyurappa (BSY) for predicting early Assembly polls in the State, Chief Minster Siddharamaiah wondered whether Yeddyurappa was the Election Commissioner to say so. Speaking to press persons upon his arrival at Mandakalli Airport this morning, Siddharamaiah who was en route to Gundlupet to take part in the Congress Thanksgiving Convention there, said that Yeddyurappa had earlier acted as Income Tax Commissioner when IT raids were carried out on Congress leaders and now he was acting as an Election Commissioner,  saying that Assembly polls will be advanced by Siddharamaiah.

Asserting that the Assembly polls will take place only in May 2018 as scheduled, he expressed confidence that the Congress would retain power.

When asked about reports on his going on a foreign jaunt, Siddharamaiah said that he has been invited by NRIs to visit Gulf Countries and he will be going on a two-day tour of Dubai to inaugurate an NRI Forum there.

Asserting that the State was not opposed to GST (Goods & Service Tax), he said that Modi had opposed introduction of GST as Gujarat Chief Minister, when the previous UPA Government had proposed to introduce GST.

When asked about senior Congress leader and  former MP A.H. Vishwanath’s possible exit from the party, the CM maintained that Vishwanath would not leave the party.

The CM, who was accompanied by Ministers Dr. G. Parameshwara, M.B. Patil & H. Anjaneya and KPCC Working President Dinesh Gundu Rao, was welcomed by MP R. Dhruvanarayan, Nanjangud MLA Kalale Keshavamurthy, DC D. Randeep, KEA Chairman Siddaraju, MyLac Chairman H.A. Venkatesh, MUDA Chairman D. Dhruvakumar and a host of officials.