With months away for Karnataka Assembly elections, speculation is rife as to who in Kalyana Karnataka will benefit from Reddy’s new party

Without the backing of B. Sriramulu the new party might find its going tough in the region

With just a few months left for the Assembly elections in Karnataka, the launch of a new party by the former Minister G. Janardhana Reddy on Sunday — Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha — is lending itself to varied interpretations in political circles on the possible impact on the polls. The BJP believes that it will not dent the party’s prospects, but some political observers argue it might divide BJP votes to help the Congress mostly and the Janata Dal (Secular) in a few pockets in the Kalyana Karnataka region.

While it was widely expected that his long-time aide and Transport Minister B. Sriramulu could support Mr. Reddy, it is now turning out that he may not join the new outfit. Without the caste backing that Mr. Sriramulu would bring — that of Valmikis (or Nayakas) — the party could find the electoral battle tough. On Sunday, Mr. Reddy, accused in illegal mining cases, said he would not “misuse” his personal equations to prevail upon either his brothers or Mr. Sriramulu to join his party.

“Mr. Sriramulu has already wished his friend well in any new venture, indicating he will not move with him. We are confident that neither will Mr. Reddy’s brothers G. Karunakara Reddy (BJP MLA for Harappanahalli) and G. Somashekhara Reddy (BJP MLA for Ballari City) switch sides. The new party will have little impact on the BJP even in Ballari district,” said N. Ravikumar, general secretary, BJP Karnataka. He, however, said as the elections approach, it needs to be seen how the party’s prospects will pan out. “The party’s fortunes will depend on what kind of local leadership it attracts. Disgruntled elements from across parties may find it a welcoming platform. We need to see how it shapes up,” Mr. Ravikumar said. 

Sources in the BJP said that Mr. Sriramulu, the strongman of Valmiki community, a key electoral ally of the BJP in the State, has been upset at the way he has been treated over the last five years and had been contemplating switching sides. Though he was promised the Deputy Chief Minister’s post and B.S. Yediyurappa had even announced it publicly in the run-up to the 2018 Assembly polls, he was not given the post. He was even snubbed publicly when he was stripped of the Health and Family Welfare portfolio during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“But now that the BJP government has hiked reservation for the Scheduled Tribes to 7% from 3%, mainly benefitting the Valmiki community, Mr. Sriramulu has emerged as an even taller leader in the community and hence will not be able to leave the party,” a senior party strategist said.

According to a senior JD(S) leader, without Mr. Sriramulu, the new party may not be able to gather mass support as Valmikis are in good numbers in Ballari, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Yadgir, and Koppal districts. “However, Mr. Reddy has money power that can swing votes in his favour and divide the BJP base. In such a scenario, the JD(S) could benefit in some pockets and the Congress could benefit in several constituencies at the cost of the BJP.” He pointed out that during the last moments before elections, there have been several examples where money overrides caste and other considerations.

Congress leader Priyank Kharge said that the new party shows that the BJP is a divided house. However, he added, “We need to be careful because the new party like the KJP or the BSR party in the past could suddenly don the secular mask or even start talking about the idea of India or our Constitution.” He said the new party could result in “marginal loss” of votes to the BJP.