The ruling BJP in Karnataka suffered a humiliating defeat in Bellary,the stronghold of the Reddy brothers,on Sunday as their close associate and former minister B Sreeramulu registered a thumping victory as an Independent in the bypoll to the Bellary Rural seat. Sreeramulu,who quit as the BJP MLA from the Bellary Rural seat on September 4 following his indictment in a Lokayukta report on illegal mining,trumped the might of the BJP and the Congress by polling 74,527 of the 123,000 votes cast in the November 30 election,defeating his nearest rival,the Congress partys B Ramaprasad,by 46,790 votes. The BJP finished a poor third with its candidate,P Gadilingappa,losing his deposit after polling just 17,366 votes. Addressing a press conference after his victory,Sreeramulu said: My friend Janardhan Reddy and I worked hard to help the BJP come to power in Karnataka. At that time our services were important to the BJP but they later forget our contributions. Because I am a Scheduled Tribe person they have tried to stab me in the back. They may have forgotten our past contributions but the people did not forget it. He added: No regional parties have succeeded in Karnataka. So I will have to decide on what political path to take that will give us influence both at the Centre and in the state. After Janardhan Reddys release I will discuss with leaders of Scheduled Tribe and backward communities and decide a path. In what is seen as the emergence of the contours of a possible new rainbow caste combination,Sreeramulu thanked the JD-Ss H D Kumaraswamy and the JD-Us M P Nadagouda belonging to the dominant Vokkaliga and Lingayat communities in the state for their support in helping him win the elections. The JDSs support in a constituency which has a 40,000-strong Muslim community is believed to have played a significant role in swinging the bypoll in the rebel leaders favour. Sreeramulus victory has given the Reddy brothers,beleaguered by CBI and Lokayukta investigations against them,some bargaining scope within the party for maintaining their control over the Bellary region.
