G Janardhana Reddy’s new party unlikely to upset BJP, Congress gameplans in Karnataka

BELAGAVI: Mining baron and former minister G Janardhana Reddy has created ripples in political circles by announcing the launch of his party, the Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Party (KRPP), but it seems to be a tall order for him to make a mark in the elections or dent the vote bank of the major parties considering his limited influence on voters.
His ardent supporters hope Reddy’s new party will hamper the BJP’s prospects like it did in the 2013 assembly polls when former chief minister BS Yediyurappa and former minister B Sriramulu deserted the party to launch their own parties, the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP) and Badavara Shramikara Raitara Congress Party (BSRCP), respectively.The ruling BJP then lost the assembly polls to the Congress as its tally came down to 40 from 110 in 2008.
BJP functionaries and political watchers, however, say a repeat of the 2013 results is unlikely, as they see a lot of change between the political scenario that prevailed then and that at present.
“History has time and again shown that the political parties formed based on individual interests of politicians have never thrived in Karnataka. The BJP does not see Reddy as any threat,” said Nirmal Kumar Surana, a member of the BJP core committee. The main difference is that Sriramulu, who has sway over the politically strong Nayaka community, and Reddy were together in 2013. Despite Reddy’s fabled money power and the backing of the Nayaka community, to which Sriramulu belongs, they managed to win only four seats with a 2.7 percent vote share.
As Sriramulu has decided he will not join hands with his mentor this time, besides his MLA brothers, G Karunakara Reddy and G Somashekhara Reddy, it won’t be easy for Janardhana Reddy.
However, the BJP will have some concern in the Kalyana Karnataka, as Janaradhan Reddy has indicated that his party may field candidates for around 30 seats in the region, which has 41 seats, and he himself may contest from Gangavathi in Koppal. He also has plans to field his wife, Aruna Lakshmi, from Sindhanur in Raichur.
The BJP’s worry is that he may eat into its vote share and help the cause of the Congress, especially in the seats where the results are decided by a thin margin.
Janardhana Reddy’s younger brother, Somashekhara Reddy, said the former’s influence cannot be ignored, especially in Ballari, Koppal, and Yadgir, where the Reddy sub-sects Hemareddy Mallamma and Vemana cults are quite dominant. “Parties can underestimate Janardhana’s strength only at their peril,” said Somashekhara Reddy.
However, political observers said there is no apparent support base for him except for the fact that Gangavathi is geographically closer to his home turf, Ballari, and that Sindhanur has a considerable number of votes from the Reddy community. “Reddy seems to have a different agenda since he has been sidelined in the BJP and he has been denied entry into Ballari, thanks to the court cases pending against him. By launching a new party, he is hoping to bargain with major parties before the elections,” said Raghavendra Gangavathi, a social activist from Koppal.