Janardhana Reddy vs B Sriramulu: Frenemies in fight to control ‘Republic of Ballari’

BENGALURU: Fifteen years ago, mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy was the toast of BJP and its mascot for political poaching. He put the saffron party in the saddle in Karnataka through ‘Operation Lotus’ and hogged headlines with his jet-setting lifestyle and dominating politics.
But Reddy’s fall was as spectacular as his rise. He faded out of most memories and into oblivion after being jailed in the biggest illegal mining scam that rocked the state. But Reddy is now back — as a rebel! Dumped by BJP’s central leadership, sidelined by state saffron party functionaries and dismissed as a weakling by rival parties, he is desperately seeking political resurrection and revenge this poll season.
He hopes to have the last laugh through ‘Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha’, the new party he recently floated. Reddy’s anger appears to stem from the fact that the BJP central leadership abandoned him and refused to help him get rid of the criminal cases against him. BJP also declined his requests for a political role.
“All these politicians thought my political career ended after I was jailed. But I was a tiger even in jail, and now I am on the hunt,” Reddy had said. He plans to field at least 30 candidates in six Kalyana Karnataka districts —Vijayanagar, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir, Bidar and Koppal besides Ballari. But the question is, is Reddy still a force to reckon with? The poser has put BJP, which is banking on the aspirational districts of Kalyana Karnataka to boost its poll prospects, in a quandary.
A BJP functionary said: “It is obvious Reddy’s decision will only upset BJP’s applecart since he will eat into the vote bank of some of our candidates. This will work in favour of Congress, which has a formidable presence in the region.”
Regardless of whom he plans to target, his attempt at resurgence has put best friend B Sriramulu, transport minister and Valmiki community leader, in a tight spot. In 2011, Sriramulu had quit BJP at Reddy’s behest before rejoining the saffron party. But now he has not only refused to join Reddy’s new party but has also chosen to take him head on by announcing that he will contest from Ballari Rural.
Out from Janardhana’s shadow
A BJP source said: “Sriramulu emerged from Janardhana Reddy’s shadow long ago and is now a strong Scheduled Tribe leader. Not only did he get key cabinet portfolios he also positioned himself as a contender for the deputy chief minister’s post.
He is a member of BJP’s election core committee. Amit Shah, the party’s chief poll strategist, told Sriramulu to win 28-35 seats in Kalyana Karnataka to prove his mettle. But now Reddy is threatening to split BJP’s vote bank.” Political analysts say the Reddy factor would work only in four districts (Ballari, Koppal, Raichur and Vijayanagar) comprising 22 seats.
“In the 2018 assembly elections, Congress and JD(S) candidates won 10 seats in these four districts by less than 10,000 votes,” one analyst said. “This time, BJP is eyeing these seats, but Reddy can play spoilsport. He could damage BJP’s prospects in 5-6 segments.”
Reddy has also turned against his brothers, Somashekara and Karunakara Reddy, both BJP legislators. He announced that his wife Aruna Lakshmi, will contest from Ballari City, where Somashekara is the incumbent MLA. Reddy himself plans to contest from Gangavathi.
Battle of Kurukshetra
Somashekara described the polls as a ‘another battle of Kurukshetra between Pandavas and Kauravas’ while likening his brother’s political moves to that of the Kauravas, who lost. On the ground, Reddy’s entry in the fray has made the campaign more colourful and rendered the battle a high-stakes affair.
While aspiring political functionaries feel the new party opens more avenues for them, many fear the return of the dreaded mining cartel. It will not be a cakewalk for Reddy either, as ordinary people have not forgotten his opulence. “He was never grounded. It is only now that we see him on the road, pleading for votes,” they say.