It’s a toss-up between a weakened BJP and divided Congress in Ballari district

BENGALURU: The mining district of Ballari is in the process of another political churn. From a complete sweep by the Congress in the 1999 assembly polls, to the district turning saffron in 2008, the district has switched allegiance between the two national parties. Now, with polls looming again, the BJP is attempting to retain power, while the Congress hopes to wrest it.
It’s again a toss-up between the Congress and the BJP in the district, which has nine assembly constituencies.Of the nine, only two constituencies are for the general category. The other seven are reserved for scheduled castes (2) and tribes (5). It is the district with the most ‘reserved’ seats in the state.
While the BJP is in a fix over using resources of its former minister G Janardhana Reddy, who is out on bail in the illegal mining scam and barred from visiting Ballari, the Congress is a divided house with each leader having his own camp. With BJP national president Amit Shah harping on alleged corruption in the Siddaramaiah government, BJP sources said Reddy has been cold-shouldered by the party. Anticipating this, BJP MP, B Sriramulu, a confidant of Reddy, has urged the party’s central leadership to give poll responsibilities in the district to Reddy.
BJP sources said Sriramulu’s request is justified as the party owes its presence in the district to the Reddy brothers. Until 2015, they wielded clout not just in the district but also in Gadag, Koppal and Raichur. The central leadership had reposed such immense confidence in the Reddy brothers that no alternative leadership was groomed in the district. This is the reason the BJP is floundering now.
The exit of B S Anand Singh, who represented the BJP from Vijayanagar, and B Nagandra (Independent) from Kudligi constituencies — both are set to join the Congress — is a blow to the party. The entire BJP unit in Vijayanagar has quit along with Singh, who will join the Congress in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
However, the local Congress leadership has failed to turn these setbacks in the BJP to its advantage. This is because the Ballari Congress is a faction-ridden unit, prompting AICC general secretary K C Venugopal to form a coordination committee of five districts which had similar problems. Differences still exist between local leaders K C Kondaiah, Allum Veerabhadrappa, Siraj Sheikh, Anil H Lad and Diwakar M Babu. Each has their own following. The recent trigger is the proposed entry of Singh to the Congress, who is seen as minister Santosh Lad’s supporter.
“The Congress ‘padayatra’ against illegal mining in Ballari district was one of the reasons for the party’s win in 2013,” a party functionary said. “The party is now admitting persons who have been named in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining. How do you expect us to defend this before the people?”
Defending the proposed move to induct Singh, party sources said as long as a person has not been convicted, he is innocent. “The Republic of Ballari has disintegrated. With the BJP becoming weak, the Congress should bring those opposed to it to capture the district,” they said.