The setback to the BJP in Bellary Lok Sabha constituency is also seen as a huge face loss to the Reddy brothers of the district and their close aide B Sriramulu.
The BJP had given in charge of the elections to Sriramulu, while the former minister and mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, who once dominated the district, operated from behind the screen.
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While Sriramulu camped in Bellary and campaigned for his sister and BJP candidate J Shanta, Reddy had set up his base in neighbouring Molkalmuru in Chitradurga district. Reddy has been barred by the courts from entering Ballari.
The diminishing influence of the Reddys in Ballari was evident in the assembly polls in May this year with BJP faring poorly in most of the segments in the district. The only succour was that Janardhana Reddy’s brother Somashekar own the Bellary city assembly seat.
It seems the anger of the people against the Reddys for their muscle power and corruption still persists. Congress candidate in Bellary Lok Sabha V S Ugrappa won the seat hands down defeating Shanta of the BJP by over 2.1 lakh votes.
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