Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Nov 10: JDS has dropped broad hints that it will not field any candidate for the Bellary rural constituency bypoll to be held on November 30. In all likelihood, it will take a decision to back former minister, Sriramulu, who has decided to fight the election as an independent.
Sources said that JDS, which is aware of the grass root level support Sriramulu enjoys in the constituency, and in an effort to humble the BJP, may train its resources behind Sriramulu. JDS, which has already accused BJP of compelling the state to face repeated bypolls, and then winning the seats by misusing state machinery and money, wants to support Sriramulu’s candidature, by claiming that it does not have enough resources to face state machinery. Its state president, Kumaraswamy, sources said, believes that it would be better to support Sriramulu and get some mileage as a result for the party, rather than fielding a candidate and losing by a huge margin.
In the meanwhile, state Chief Minister (CM), D V Sadananda Gowda, said that BJP will field its own candidate for the election. Insisting that the party’s candidate will win the bypoll, Gowda stressed that the party is neither bewildered nor shaken by the decision of Sriramulu to go on his own. Agreeing that he had a sense of disappointment over the decision of the former minister to part ways with BJP, the CM said that Bellary rural constituency will be represented by a BJP legislator as before. It may be noted that Bellary MLA and brother of former minister, Janardhan Reddy, Somashekhar Reddy, has requested BJP not to field a candidate against Sriramulu. He and some other leaders had taken part in a meeting and procession organized at Bellary by Sriramulu on Wednesday.
In reply to another query, the CM said the top leadership of BJP including Yeddyurappa and Nitin Gadkari will canvass for the party candidate. It is learnt that BJP has instructed both Ashok Kumar, president of BJP ST Morcha state unit, and K V Nagendra, national general secretary of ST Morcha, to file their nominations from the above constituency by today evening.
In the meanwhile, seven police officials from Bellary, who were deemed close to Reddy camp, have been transferred as per the recommendation of the Election Commission.