In electoral minefield, BJP has the upper hand

Bellary. It8217;s from here that Sonia Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1999 and from where her rival contestant...

Bellary. It8217;s from here that Sonia Gandhi was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1999 and from where her rival contestant, BJP8217;s Sushma Swaraj, picked that smattering of Kannada. But neither of these women leaders holds the key to Bellary, a mineral-rich constituency in east-central Karnataka, that goes to the polls in the second phase on May 16. Here, it8217;s the powerful mining lobby that calls the shots and the votes.

Figures from the Food and Nutrition Department show that around 70 per cent of families in Bellary district live below the poverty line. But that hasn8217;t stopped the candidates from living it up. While Bellary8217;s Congress candidate and mining magnate Anil Lad declared Rs 178 crore as assets, his BJP rival Somshekara Reddy8212;one of three Reddy brothers who run a powerful mining business8212;declared Rs 60 crore. Both zipped across the city in their private helicopters till the Election Commission cracked the whip.

That did dampen the opulent show somewhat but not enough for the candidates to burn the dusty roads of Bellary in expensive SUVs8212;Lad goes around in a 1.72-crore Bentley. In the last 15 days alone, officials of the Election Commission and district administration have seized close to Rs 10.5 crore from vehicles entering the city. Only last month, BJP workers allegedly set fire to three of Lad8217;s cars in front of his house. But the BJP claims Lad did it himself to aid his campaign.

The BJP, desperate to control the Bellary mines that have shaped Karnataks politics several times in the past, has given the powerful Reddy brothers a free rein in the region. While Janardhan Reddy, the eldest brother, is an MLC and a former mayor, another brother Karunakar is contesting from Harappanahalli constituency in Davangere district. Their close family friend B. Sreeramulu is contesting from Bellary Rural. Incidentally, it was Janardhan who accused former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of accepting bribes to the tune of Rs 150 crore8212;an accusation many thought was the reason behind the JDS refusing to hand over power to the BJP last year.

From the turnout at a Sushma Swaraj rally on Wednesday, it seemed the BJP has an edge8212;it doesn8217;t help the Congress that Sonia Gandhi is yet to make an appearance in Bellary after her 1999 win.

A Congress leader said on condition of anonymity, 8220;Mrs Gandhi has not visited the city once after winning in 1999 while Sushma Swaraj has been coming here every year for nine years now.8221;

The only good news for the Congress has been JDS candidate Diwakar Babu8217;s sudden shift to the Congress just days ago, leaving the JDS without a candidate.