Bellary polls 70% votes

Bellary polls 70% votes

With over 70 per cent votes polled in the by-election to Bellary rural Assembly seat on Wednesday, the fate of mining barons Reddy brothers is sealed. This bypoll, it is the Reddy brothers versus BJP in Bellary.

Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda expressed confidence to The Pioneer that the BJP would safely secure the seat. However, he accused the Congress of colluding with the Reddy brothers.

“I am confident we will win. However, it is not a referendum on my Government. We are all united and fought the election. It was a mistake that we gave so much to Reddy brothers. It is also a conspiracy of the Congress,” he said.

According to poll officials over 2,500 police personnel have been deployed to ensure incident-free voting in the 195 booths, of which over 100 are considered sensitive and 15 very sensitive.

Of the three Reddy brothers, the most vocal, Gali Janardhana Reddy, former Tourism Minister, is in Hyderabad’s Chanchalguda Jail since September 5 in connection with an illegal mining case in Andhra Pradesh.

Gali Somashekara has also been suspended from the BJP, along with two Lok Sabha members and three other state legislators, for supporting Sriramulu. Gali Karunakara has not been seen in public since mid-September. He and Somashekara are Assembly members while Janardhana is in the legislative council.

The Reddy brothers claim the support of around 14 of the BJP’s 119 lawmakers in the 225-member Assembly that includes one nominated member. However, BJP insiders say the party has worked out strategies to win in the number game.

In fact, the BJP has won all the bypolls held in the State for the past three years. According to political observers, the battle of Bellary is essentially between Sriramulu and Gadilingappa. Results will be announced on December 4.