by M K Vidyaranya

Fanning an air of 'self -respect' forfmer Karnataka Health Minister B Sriramulu who quit his MLA post and contested as an independent candidate in the by-poll for Bellary Assembly Constituency under the 'Fan' symbol  won by a margin of more than 46,000 votes over his nearest Congress rival pushing the BJP nominee to the third place.

Sriramulu attributed his victory to the people of Bellary who reposed faith in the good work he had done to the district when he was the Minister in the BJP government. Sriramul has dismissed the commonly observaed notion that he might seek to topple the D V Sadananda Gowda Ministry, since a good number of BJP legislators from in and around Bellary are supporting him.

It may be recalled here that BJP, had "dumped" Janardhana Reddy, his brother and former Minister G Karunakara Reddy and Sreeramulu after the Lokayukta report on illegal mining indicted them, had already suspended three MLAs, one MLC and two Loksabha MPs for supporting Sreeramulu during the electioneering.

"It's not my victory, it's the victory of the people. It's a victory for the pride", Sreeramulu said, charging the BJP with "backstabbing him" forgetting about the contributions made by him and the Reddy brothers in the last Assembly polls which saw the Saffron party storming to power for the first time in the southern states."Just because I am a leader of backward classes, I come from the lower caste of 'Valmiky' community, they tried to finish me politically by hatching a conspiracy, he said  addressing a victory rally at Bellary.

The BJP candidate lost the deposit eventhough the Chief Minister r Sadananda Gowda, Fomer Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and the whole cabinet had camped in the constituency and made do or die attempt to win the elections. Janata Dal (S) had not set up its candidate and was supporting Sriramulu. Bellary by-poll had attracted pan-India attention as the legislators and MPs from Bellary district elected on the BJP ticket had supported Sriramulu, a close confidante of mining barons Reddy brothers.

For Karnataka’s BJP unit it was a major challenge and the entire cabinet camped at Bellary to campaign for its nominee Gadilingappa. Money and liquor flowed freely despite the election officers claiming that stringent measures had been taken to contain the influence of money and liquor.

The Reddy brothers, Janardhana, Karunakara and Somashekara, sons of a police constable in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, made Bellary their home and joined BJP in 1999. They consider the district as their pocket borough.The three brothers are still in BJP, though the party has suspended Somashekara for campaigning for Sriramulu. Karunakara and Somashekara are assembly members while Janardhana is in legislative council.

Will BJP govt fall ?

Will the ruling BJP party in the state which suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of B Sriramulu fall ?

A setback for the ruling BJP party, Sreeramulu's victory, will help Reddy brother's efforts to take chances on the ruling BJP .With Sreeramalu's win in Bellary, the ball sure is in Reddy Brothers court now, with the possibilty that the Karnataka government could now ask CBI to investigate Reddy brothers.

BJP which has been trying to distance itself from the Reddy brothers of Bellary for their alleged involvement in the illegal mining scam will now have to start from scratch to rebuild its image.

Sreeramulu's win will definately change the course of developments in Karnataka's political scenario, which went for a toss after the arrest of mining czar Janardhana Reddy in illegal mining case. Sreeramulu is a close aide of Janardhana Reddy who is now lodgaed in Chanchalaguda prison in Andhra Pradesh.

Sreeramulu's victory also means the emergence of a new regional party which means that the ruling BJP party may have to bite the dust. It is not hidden that it was the Reddy brothers who helped BJP come to power in the state and its defeat spells trouble for the party, as the Reddy brothers claim that they have the support of atleast 14 of the BJP’s 119 lawmakers in the 225-member assembly that includes one nominated member.

pic courtesy: Hindu