Mysore/Mysuru: Chief Minister Siddharamaiah, who visited his home Constituency of Varuna in Mysuru district for the first time after assuming office for the second time, received a warm welcome from a large crowd at Suttur Helipad in Nanjangud taluk this noon.

The CM arrived from Bengaluru in a chopper and was accorded a rousing reception. He was also given a guard of honour by the District Police. This visit comes exactly three weeks after his taking over as the CM on May 20, 2023, following the Congress party’s resounding victory in May 10 polls.

Speaking to media at Suttur Helipad, CM Siddharamaiah announced that he would launch the ‘Shakti’ scheme, which provides free travel for all women in Karnataka on public transport buses, in Bengaluru tomorrow.

He emphasised that the Congress Government is committed to implementing all five of its pre-poll guarantees, including the Shakti Scheme, Gruha Jyothi, Gruha Lakshmi, Yuva Nidhi and Anna Bhagya. The Anna Bhagya scheme, which provides 10 kgs of free rice to each member of below-poverty-line (BPL) families, will be launched in Mysuru district while the ‘Gruha Lakshmi’ scheme will be initiated in Belagavi next month.

When asked about making Varuna a taluk centre, the Chief Minister responded that Varuna would certainly be made a taluk centre if the people demand it. He humorously added that he would not make Varuna a taluk centre if former CM Basavaraj Bommai demands it.

Regarding the PSI recruitment scam, CM Siddharamaiah assured that the investigation into the scam has intensified and the Government will not spare any of the guilty parties.

From Suttur Helipad, Siddharamaiah conducted a Road Show in an open vehicle to Biligere, approximately 1 kilometre away. Thousands of people lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the Chief Minister on his homecoming after assuming office for the second time.

In Biligere, Siddharamaiah addressed a grand thanksgiving rally for Congress workers and his supporters, with an estimated participation of over 50,000 people. Attendees at the rally were provided with vegetarian dishes, such as Holige Oota, Payasa and Sambar, at the spacious ground in Biligere.

Earlier, Siddharamaiah received a warm welcome at Suttur Helipad with the performances of various folk and cultural troupes, along with the bursting of crackers.

The Chief Minister was received by District In-charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, Chamarajanagar District In-charge Minister K. Venkatesh, Mysuru Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, IGP (Southern Range) Pravin Madhukar Pawar, City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth, SP Seema Latkar, ZP CEO K.M. Gayathri and other top district officials.

Additionally, all Congress MLAs from Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts, except Narasimharaja MLA Tanveer Sait were present. They included K. Harishgowda, Anil Chikkamadu, Darshan Dhruvanarayan, D. Ravishankar, C. Puttarangashetty, A.R. Krishnamurthy and H.M. Ganesh Prasad.  MLC Dr. D. Thimmaiah, former MLAs Dr. Yathindra Siddharamaiah and M.K. Somashekar and former MP Kagalawadi Shivanna were also present.