BENGALURU: Former minister and Gangavathi MLA Gali Janardhana Reddy on Monday merged his Kalayan Rajya Pragati Paksha (KRPP) with BJP. This is expected to help the saffron party in some parts of Kalyana Karnataka region.
Reddy rejoined BJP in the presence of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, BJP state president BY Vijayendra, former Minister B Sriramulu and others. Reddy said he will work for the party and help it win 28 seats in the state.
“I have rejoined without any expectations,” said Reddy. It was just a month ago that he had backed Congress in the Rajya Sabha elections. Reddy, a mining baron, was associated with former Union Minister, late Sushma Swaraj, who contested against Sonia Gandhi from the Ballari Lok Sabha constituency in 1999.
Though Sushma lost, Reddy’s association with the party only grew stronger since then. He played an important role in bringing BJP to power in 2008. In 2011, he was sent to jail in a case of illegal mining, but was released on bail in 2015. But he kept out of active politics since 2011.
Shah called me and I joined BJP: Reddy
In 2022, he announced the launch of his party, and fielded 47 candidates in the 2023 Assembly polls.
Reddy’s homecoming is expected to help BJP in the Kalyana Karnataka region, especially Ballari, Koppal and Raichur. He also has some influence in Davanagere and Chitradurga Lok Sabha constituencies. In 2023, KRPP got a considerable vote share in a few Assembly constituencies.
Reddy, who won from Gangavati, secured 66,000 or 41 per cent of the total votes. His wife Aruna Lakshmi, who contested unsuccessfully from Ballari, got over 48,000 votes or around 27 per cent of the total. The vote share of his party candidates in other constituencies varied from six to 11 per cent.
Vijayendra, after handing over the party flag to Reddy, said his inclusion will help the party get more votes in Kalyana Karnataka. “Reddy has joined the party with the sole intention of making Narendra Modi Prime Minister again,” he said.
Reddy said, “Yediyurappa gave me a break and made me minister when I was very young. I am happy to rejoin the party when his son is the state president. Union Minister Amit Shah called me and I decided to join.”