BALLARI: State minister for health and family Welfare B Sriramulu seems to be losing his grip over Ballari and Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi is reaping the benefits.
Earlier, Sriramulu was being touted as Yediyurappa’s successor. These dreams seem to have come crashing down as he was even ignored for the post of Deputy Chief Minister, despite massive efforts by his supporters. Instead of him, Laxman Savadi was made the Deputy CM along with Ashwath Narayana and Govind Karjol.
On Monday, Yediyurappa made it official when he did not make Sriramulu the district-in-charge minister for Ballari and instead chose Savadi for the region, choosing to send Sriramulu to Yadgir.
While Sriramulu chose not to criticise the decision and said he was only following the high command’s orders, party sources and political critics pointed out that without Janardhana Reddy, Sriramulu could not control Ballari. “The party higher-ups are aware that he was losing his hold on Ballari. They cite the recent Lok Sabha polls as an example where the party got leads in Ballari city, Ballari rural district and Kampli, once the strongholds of Sriramulu and the Reddy brothers,” said sources. It is said that seniors from the party now want to free Ballari from the clutches of the Reddy brothers and Sriramulu, but will have to tread carefully because of the popularity he enjoys.