Karnataka Assembly polls: In third list, BJP names another Reddy brother, actor Saikumar

The BJP has fielded G Karunakar Reddy, eldest of the three Reddy brothers, from Harapanahalli constituency, which he represented in 2008 when he was a minister in the BJP government in Karnataka.

Karunakar Reddy had disappeared from politics after his mining baron brother Janardhan Reddy and several of their associates were accused by the CBI of running a mining mafia in Bellary district between 2008 and 2011 by using positions of power in the BJP government.

Karunakar Reddy’s younger brother G Somashekhar Reddy is also in the fray in the Assembly polls and his name figured in the second list of candidates released by BJP earlier this week.

The third list also has the name of five-time Congress MLA and sitting Bellary Rural legislator N Y Gopalakrishna who recently moved to the BJP after Congress denied him a ticket to the Bellary Rural seat and his traditional Molkalmuru seat. BJP is fielding Gopalakrishna from Kudligi reserved constituency in Bellary.

Film star Saikumar, who was master of ceremonies at the extravagant wedding of Janardhan Reddy’s daughter in Bengaluru in 2016, and has also hosted the Kannada version of Kaun Banega Crorepati on TV, has been chosen by the BJP to contest from Bagepalli region in southern Karnataka.

The BJP has so far announced names of 213 candidates for the May 12 Assembly polls and is yet to name nominees for 11 seats. These include the seat of Varuna, which may witness a clash between BJP state chief and CM candidate B S Yeddyurappa’s younger son B Y Vijayendra and CM Siddaramaiah’s son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah.