Siddaramaiah Orders Open 'Cursed' Door That Loses Polls

A door in the state assembly, that had been shut in 1998 after the then chief minister lost the assembly elections, has been ordered open for the second time by Mr Siddaramaiah.

Shutting the door on superstition and opening it to reason once again, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has begun using the 'inauspicious' south door to his chamber in the state assembly building today. 

The door in the Vidhana Soudha, which was forced shut in 1998 after then chief minister J H Patel lost the assembly elections, had been ordered open by Mr Siddaramaiah after he became the chief minister in 2013. Six chief ministers assumed office in those 15 years, but the door remained firmly shut.

Despite losing the chief ministership in 2018 and three successors - BJP's B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, and H D Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) - refusing to use the door, Siddaramaiah got it opened again today. 

The chief minister's chamber is on the third floor of the Vidhana Soudha and even assembly members consider the south-facing door unlucky, preferring to use the west-facing one instead. The south door is said to be in non-compliance with 'Vaastu' standards.