In Karnataka’s mining capital Bellary, Congress eyes a comeback by fighting Modi factor
In Bellary, BJP candidate B Sriramulu fights an anti-incumbency wave even as Congress candidate E Tukaram looks to cash in on the party’s five guarantees and his ‘clean image’.
7 min read
BJP candidate B Sriramulu (right) fights an anti-incumbency wave even as Congress candidate E Tukaram looks to cash in on the party’s five guarantees. (Express Photos)Overcast skies with a dash of hot air, workers wearing blue uniforms cycling back to their quarters, trucks crisscrossing a dusty town, and people minding their businesses: Toranagallu in Karnataka paints an idyllic picture of what life in Bellary district is like. Until the locals point out that the skies are not actually cloudy and it is the smoke emanating from the world’s sixth-largest steel plant and the surrounding industries that is to blame. The trucks spotted in town are part of the infamous mining business that has dictated Bellary politics since 2004 and painted the district’s towns ‘red’ over the years.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi makes tall claims of wiping out corruption but ultimately has re-inducted a corrupt and tainted politician like Janardhan Reddy in BJP. The BJP unit here is fighting the elections using the money from the proceeds of illegal mining,” alleges Tapal Ganesh, a mine owner and a social activist fighting against illegal mining in Bellary.
Since the iron ore mining boom in 2004, all the polls in Bellary, a Scheduled Tribe (ST) constituency, have largely been determined by the money power of its mining barons, the Reddy brothers, rather than local issues. However, the Reddy brothers’ prominence declined after the Karnataka Lokayukta exposed Janardhan Reddy’s Rs 2,500 crore illegal mining racket, leading to CBI cases.
Cut to 2024. Reddy stays exiled from Bellary after a Supreme Court order, the Congress has made a comeback in a big way in the 2023 Assembly elections and the Lok Sabha elections will see BJP candidate B Sriramulu and Congress candidate and MLA E Tukaram lock horns. People in the region are dubbing the Lok Sabha contest as a fight between a ‘popular’ and an ‘unpopular’ leader. While Sriramulu is already seen as an ST leader having represented the community as an MP, Sandur MLA Tukaram is still seen as an emerging leader, with his popularity limited in and around Sandur.
The BJP tasted electoral success in the Bellary Lok Sabha seat from 2004 to 2014 with Karunakar Reddy, brother of Janardhan Reddy, J Shantha, Sriramulu’s sister, and Sriramulu being elected to the Parliament. However, in 2018, Sriramulu vacated the seat to contest the 2018 Assembly elections and made way for his sister yet again to contest the seat for by-elections. But the Congress-JD(S) coalition government managed to wrest the Lok Sabha seat from the BJP, handing Congress candidate V S Ugrappa a victory. However, the latter lost to BJP’s Y Devandrappa in the 2019 elections.
BJP leaders in Bellary say they owe a lot of credence to late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj who was responsible for building the BJP from scratch in the Congress stronghold. Swaraj contested against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, who fought from Bellary on a second seat after Rae Bareli in 1999. Although Swaraj was unsuccessful, the BJP camp had much to rejoice after making a mark in Bellary politics for the first time.
A Congress resurgence?
In 2024, with Bellary going to polls on May 7, things appear to be going back to square one with Congress making a strong comeback in the 2023 elections wherein the party won six out of eight Assembly segments.
Political circles in Bellary strongly believe that there is a “huge” anti-incumbency factor against Sriramulu. Not because of his close association with Janardhan Reddy but because his promises of development have fallen flat and his inaccessibility to the people.
However, BJP MLC and chief election convenor for Bellary, Y M Satish, told The Indian Express, “Sriramulu is a strong ST leader who has got community backing. He has been in public service for a long time. We have been reaching out to the people of Bellary through concerted efforts and making sure that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s track record in the last 10 years for the region and the country is delivered to every single booth. We are also confident that Modi’s recent public meeting in Hospet will swing 5 per cent of votes in our favour.”
The BJP has given its workers a simple target – ensure 60 per cent of the electorate votes for them. Moreover, the BJP has identified around 350 booths out of the 2,000 across Bellary constituency where the party needs to improve its lead while managing to retain the vote base in other booths.
Meanwhile, MLA E Tukaram, with his ‘clean image’ and empowered by the Congress’s five guarantees, is leaving no stone unturned to cash in on the anti-incumbency factor in the constituency. Tukaram worked as an accountant in the V S Lad Mining Company owned by Anil Lad, a former Congressman who is now with the Janata Dal (Secular), and later served as the Zilla Parishad member in 2002 after joining the JD(S). He was first elected as an MLA from Sandur in 2008 and also served as the medical education minister and Bellary in-charge minister in HD Kumaraswamy’s cabinet in 2018.
While the SC/ST community accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the electorate, the Veerashaiva Lingayats account for only 8 per cent.
Narendra Kumar, a local political observer from Bellary, noted, “Since both are from the ST community, the ST votes will definitely split. The SCs will largely favour the Congress because they have been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the guarantee schemes. The Kurubas will never vote for the BJP until Siddaramaiah is in Congress. It is the Veerashaivas who will be a deciding factor in this election.” Pointing out that Janardhan Reddy can only bring “money power” and “some votes” in BJP’s favour, Kumar said, “Modi is the only mascot that can save the BJP”.
To counter the Modi factor, the Congress’s poll pitch is focused on attacking the BJP for “removing the reservations for SC/STs and changing the Constitution”.
Tapal Ganesh says, “Tukaram has an upper hand because he is a fresh face in national politics. His conduct and demeanour in the Assembly elections have been well received by the people and his community.” Ganesh added, “No government has cracked down against industries producing tonnes of industrial waste and smoke, leading to toxic air quality and water contamination. In fact, it is unfortunate that the number of medical shops in Bellary has increased because the health hazards have increased.”
Ramu, an auto driver belonging to the Valmiki Nayak community said Sriramulu “has done nothing” for Bellary. “It is important to wipe him out of Bellary constituency. The working class has been impacted due to negligence by the central government. At least the Congress government is adding to our savings with free electricity and free ration to the poor. They are also promising Rs 1 lakh annually to poor households which is welcome. Cash in hand during such financial instability makes a lot of difference to our livelihood,” he said.
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