Siddaramaiah launches personal Twitter handle

"Today, I am launching this new Twitter account to stay personally connected with all of you, to share views, opinions & learn from each other," Siddaramaiah said in a tweet on his new Twitter handle '@siddaramaiah'.

"I invite you all to connect with me here, as I reach out to you today not as your CM, but as Siddaramaiah - a rooted and proud Kannadiga," he said in another tweet.

The new Twitter profile already has 2,480 followers and describes Siddaramaiah as "Kannadiga; Believer in equity & social justice; Family man; Chief Minister of Karnataka."

The official Twitter handle of the chief minister "@CMofKarnataka" has 232K followers till now.

The latest social media outreach by the chief minister with personal touch gains significance ahead of 2018 assembly polls.

The congress government in the state has constantly faced criticism for its "poor" communication in reaching out to the masses.

In a video message in the account, Siddaramaiah said it has been launched with an intention to increase his association with the social media users and to express his views and opinion more cordially.

"Let us all join hands and move forward together in the path of social change. Let's interact constructively through my personal Twitter account @siddaramaiah," he said.