The comments by the incumbent MP gain significance as he is the younger brother of Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress chief D K Shivakumar, whose desire for the chief minister's post is only too well known. In fact, Siddaramaiah became the chief minister after the 2023 elections thanks to a compromise worked out by the Congress high command.

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Addressing an election rally in Ramanagara district on Friday, Suresh said, "We don't stop anyone who wishes to join our party unconditionally. We don't know what the future holds for them. Siddaramaiah is not an original Congressman. He joined the party after the Janata Dal Secular closed the doors on him. After he joined Congress, Siddaramaiah became the CM not once, but twice. But it has to be said that he has introduced several schemes benefitting every section of the society.”

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Suresh's comments were not off the mark, as more than half the Congress leaders had their roots in the Janata Parivar and they had joined the grand old party along with Siddaramaiah. It is also true that the feeling of original Congressmen versus outsiders persists during the distribution of tickets in every election.

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After Siddaramaiah's 'expulsion' from the JDS in 2005, he had no option but to join a secular party and he felt the Congress was the right option. In 2013, had the then KPCC President Dr G Parameshwara won in Koratagere constituency in Tumkur, he would have given Siddaramaiah a run for his money in the race for the chief minister's post.

With none to oppose him, Siddaramaiah completed the full term of five years. When the Congress lost in 2018, he was part of the Congress-JDS coalition government with H D Kumaraswamy as the chief minister. After the government collapsed, he became the leader of the opposition.

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After Congress's big win in the 2023 assembly polls, both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar staked claim for the chief minister's post and to solve the crisis, the party high command reportedly decided on a power-sharing formula with each person holding the post for 30 months.

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Of late, Siddaramaiah has been adopting an emotional approach in his speeches, stating his position would be under threat if the party failed to win a minimum of 15 seats (out of the 28) in the Lok Sabha polls from the state.

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Though this was initially dismissed as a ploy to woo the voters, Siddaramaiah's intentions were clear – he should not be disturbed till 2028.

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This was no music to the ears of Shivakumar, patiently waiting for his turn to become the chief minister, with the party keen to strike a balancing act between backward classes and the powerful Vokkaliga community. Like Shivakumar, Suresh too wasn't pleased with Siddaramaiah's stance and he had been highlighting the struggles his brother had gone through for the party.

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While Siddaramaiah has been busy campaigning in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar, Shivakumar has been looking after Bengaluru Rural and other constituencies in the state capital. The Congress can ill afford a tiff between the two in the midst of the electoral battle but in his eagerness to back his brother, Suresh seems to have whipped up an unnecessary storm.