Veteran Indian politician Siddaramaiah, who served as the longest-tenured Chief Minister of Karnataka (a large state in southern India) and stepped down from that role in May 2026, has announced he will not contest the 2028 state assembly elections. Speaking at a public event in Mandya district on Saturday, the 79-year-old Congress leader cited his advancing age, health concerns, and what he described as increasingly "polluted" politics — pointing to the growing role of money in elections as incompatible with the honest politics he has practised since entering public life in 1978. Despite the retirement announcement, which disappointed many of his supporters and loyalists, Siddaramaiah stressed he will remain active in public life and continue working for the Congress party and the people of Karnataka.