Bengaluru, DHNS: Girija placed a peck on his cheek at an event at Palace Grounds. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday was taken aback for a while when a young woman smilingly placed a peck on his cheek at a public event in Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah, though tried not to glance at her on the dais, was seen a bit embarrassed. With a smile on his face, he was seen wiping his right cheek where the charming lady had left a quick kiss. This happened at a programme held at Palace Grounds to felicitate newly-elected zilla and taluk panchayat members belonging to the Kuruba community, to which Siddaramaiah also belongs to.

Girija Srinivas (32), who could not conceal her happiness when she saw Siddaramaiah from close quarters on the dais, is a member of Tarikere taluk panchayat in Chikkamgalur district.
Girija, dressed in a bright blue saree and jasmine adorning her plait, and a few others posed for a group photo with Siddaramaiah. After the photo session, Girija looked at Siddaramaiah, pulled his head gently towards her and kissed him. And, the chief minister was seen holding her head. The incident left the audience speechless. Later, she swiftly left the dais with a big smile on her face.

Girija, represents Amruthapura seat in the Tarikere taluk panchayat. A mother of two, she is married to Srinivas, a civil contractor. She hails from Varuna, the Assembly constituency of Siddaramaiah.

What made Girija gush the way she did? For this, she happily said: “It was my long time dream to meet Siddaramaiah. He is like Appaji (father) to me. I used to see him waiving at public during election campaigns. I kissed him to ward off evil effect of eyes on him. Let Male Mahadeshwara protect him.” Reacting to it, Siddaramaiah said “She is like my daughter.”

Srinivas said: “Common man can’t meet the chief minister. But she got a chance to meet him today because she is now a taluk panchayat member. Media should not make her panic. I am happy for her.”

A video clip of the incident was aired immediately by various television channels and even shared on the social media. There were comments on WhatsApp whether “Kiss Bhagya for the CM was the result of kaage (crow) sitting on his official SUV.” Some jocularly commented whether such incidents amount to ‘breach of security.’