G. Somashekar Reddy waiting for party’s nod

The BJP’s reported decision not to field persons with tainted image remained only a speculation after it cleared the name of T.H. Suresh Babu, nephew of B. Sriramulu, MP, to contest for a third term from Kampli Assembly constituency.

The decision of the party (fielding Mr. Suresh Babu) has now made G. Somashekar Reddy, elder brother mining baron G. Janardhan Reddy, feel happy hoping that the decks would be cleared for him to contest from Ballari (city) in the Assembly election.

For, both Mr. Suresh Babu and Mr. Somashekar Reddy have been facing the charge of indulging in illegal mining and trying to bribe a Judge of a Special CBI Court to get bail for Mr. Janardhan Reddy, respectively.

Mr. Somashekar, it may be mentioned here, won from the Ballari (city) constituency in the 2008 elections with a slender margin of 1,022 votes against Congress candidate Anil Lad. He did not contest the 2013 elections. When he was keen on contesting in the current elections, rumours were rife that the party would not field persons with tainted image on the one hand and that the party had decided to field a new face, B.K. Sundar, a physician, which was a cause of worry for the former.

Now, Mr. Somashekar Reddy, who had placed all his trust in the statement of State BJP president B.S. Yeddyurappa during his Parivartan Yatra asking people to ensure the victory of Mr. Somashekar Reddy with a huge margin, has already undertaken rigorous door-to-door campaign in the city and is eagerly awaiting a formal announcement from the party clearing his name.