After Janardhana Reddy’s disqualification, BJP, Cong prepare for Gangavati battle
Bengaluru: The political parties in Karnataka are strategising to capture the Gangavati Assembly seat, which fell vacant after the disqualification of mining baron and Karnataka MLA G. Janardhana Reddy.
Reddy was disqualified from the Karnataka Assembly on May 8 after being convicted by a Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in an illegal mining case.
The current Congress-led government in Karnataka, headed by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, was sworn in on May 20, 2023. The term of the Karnataka Assembly is scheduled to end in May 2028.
Although Reddy won the Gangavati seat in the 2023 Assembly elections as a candidate of his own party, Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP), he dissolved the party and rejoined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 25, 2024.
With the seat now officially vacant, the ruling Congress, under the leadership of CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister and State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar, is eager to wrest the seat to send a strong message that their policies and programmes have effectively reached the common man, despite the Opposition’s allegations of appeasement politics.
On the other hand, the BJP is determined to retain the seat at any cost.
For State BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra, a victory here is critical to cement his political standing.
He has already launched a ‘Janakrosh Yatra’ across the state to mobilise public sentiment against the Congress-led government.
Party sources indicate that after Operation Sindoor, it has become even more imperative for BJP leader Vijayendra to secure a win in Gangavati.
Meanwhile, aspirants from both parties have begun lobbying for the ticket.
Iqbal Ansari, the Congress candidate who lost the 2023 Assembly election to Janardhana Reddy by 7,997 votes, is hopeful of securing the ticket again, banking on the advantage of the Congress being in power in the state.
Former MP Sanganna Karadi and Congress leader Hanumantha Arasinakere are also reportedly in the race for the ticket.
On the BJP side, party sources say that Aruna Laxmi, Reddy’s wife, is willing to contest the seat.
Local BJP leader Paranna Munalli, who came third in the 2023 Assembly election with 29,167 votes, is also considered a strong contender.