The proposal of the B.S. Yediyurappa-led government on bifurcating Ballari district, to carve out a new district called ‘Vijayanagara’, has not gone down well with the Reddy brothers and their close aide and Minister B. Sriramulu, who hold considerable sway over the northern district.
Even as Mr. Yediyurappa has directed the Chief Secretary to table the proposal in the next Cabinet meet, it is expected to raise a storm within the ruling party. The development is being seen as a tactical move by Mr. Yediyurappa to promote Anand Singh (now disqualified MLA) as a counterweight to the Reddy brothers and Mr. Sriramulu in the Ballari region.
A day after two special flights took off from Jindal airport in Ballari on Wednesday — with a delegation of prominent political leaders of the district led by seer of a prominent Veerashaiva Mutt — to meet the Chief Minister in Bengaluru with the demand, Mr. Yediyurappa issued a note to the Chief Secretary on the bifurcation plan. While speculations are rife that Mr. Singh (Hosapete) is the brain behind the whole development, what is of significance is that Congress leaders K.C. Kondaiah and Allum Veerabhadrappa too were part of the delegation.
While some believe it is a “question of survival” for Mr. Singh, the development is significant for him as he is the likely BJP candidate in the next bypoll.
The formation of a new district with Hosapete as headquarters could be a smart move that could give both Mr. Singh and the BJP a new image and space.
Comprehending Mr. Yediyurappa’s reported intentions, the Reddy camp has opposed the bifurcation as it may affect their dominance over Ballari district.
Already, Minister for Health and Family Welfare B. Sriramulu and MLA of Ballari city G. Somashekhara Reddy have opposed the proposal vehemently. The move is also expected to trigger a debate on choice of headquarters for the proposed new district. Already Bheema Naik and P.T. Parameshwar Naik, Congress MLAs for Hagaraibommanahalli and Hadagali respectively have demanded that their constituencies be made the headquarters as Hosapete would be at one corner of the new district. Bringing the district headquarters closer to the people is one of the reasons mentioned in the proposal for bifurcation. However, the demands for selecting a town that would be in the centre of the new district to serve as the headquarters are unlikely to be considered for obvious reasons.
