Karnataka Lok Sabha Elections 2024: How Janardhana Reddy's return may help BJP scale 400-seat summit

Karnataka MLA and mining magnate Janardhana Reddy mergered of his Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha party with the BJP.

Less than a month before the Lok Sabha elections, G Janardhana Reddy, the mining tycoon and MLA representing Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP), strategically merged his party with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The move marks Reddy's formal return to the saffron party, accompanied by his wife Aruna Lakshmi and a loyal group of supporters.

Notably, Reddy's rejoining of the BJP follows a formal split in December 2022, when he founded his own political entity shortly before the last year's Assembly elections. Nevertheless, his departure from the BJP lasted for more than a decade, largely due to legal hurdles associated with his mining ventures. These legal challenges not only impacted his political reputation but also strained his relations with the BJP.

Political analysts argue that Reddy's return to the BJP has injected renewed enthusiasm within the Karnatakaparty's circles in and around Ballari, fuelling the saffron party's ambitious aspirations for the forthcoming general elections. Moreover, his return is perceived as a significant boost to the BJP's larger goal of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) achieving an unprecedented victory, potentially surpassing the 400-seat mark. Reddy earlier faced lukewarm responses from BJP leadership toward his overt overtures, and his rumoured support for the Congress in the February 27 Rajya Sabha election highlighted a widening gap between him and the BJP. However, despite these developments, the mining tycoon has been embraced back into the party fold.

Describing it as a "homecoming," Reddy clarified that the decision to merge the KRPP with the BJP is aimed at "strengthening Narendra Modi's leadership and ensure his reelection for a third term as Prime Minister."

He further elaborated, saying, "The BJP was always in my blood, but due to certain circumstances, I had stepped away. However, today, I feel as though I have returned to my mother's lap. When I look at my fellow party members here, it doesn't feel like I'm returning to the BJP office after 13 years."

Reddy stressed the significance of Karnataka in ensuring Modi's return as Prime Minister. In a bid to secure victory for the BJP-JDS alliance across all 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state, he chose to merge his KRPP with the BJP and align himself with the party.

Following his arrest by the CBI on charges related to a mining scandal, Reddy had largely remained politically inactive for nearly 12 years prior to the Assembly polls last year.

Reddy, who faced arrest in connection with a mining scam in 2011, previously served as a minister in the BJP government led by BS Yediyurappa in 2008. Despite his campaign efforts for former minister B Sriramulu during the 2018 assembly polls, the BJP had distanced itself from Reddy publicly at that time. Dissatisfied with the party's position, Reddy launched the KRPP a year before the 2023 assembly polls. He later contested and emerged victorious in the elections from Gangavati in Koppal district.

Reddy's influence is likely to strengthen the BJP's presence in north Karnataka and mitigate the chances of vote fragmentation, particularly in Ballari, Bagalkot, and Koppal districts, which could favour the Congress. After losing ground to the Congress in the region during the May 2023 assembly polls, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned to regain its foothold ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The effort includes fielding Lingayat leader and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar as the MP candidate from Belagavi.

Furthermore, experts say that Reddy's return to the BJP may provide him with a degree of legal immunity, potentially shielding him from various criminal cases, notably those related to illegal mining, which have been brought forth by central agencies. From the BJP's standpoint, Reddy's re-entry holds promise for reclaiming political ground lost in and around Ballari. With Reddy's support, the BJP had earlier made significant strides in Ballari, a region long held by the Congress. However, the party's influence diminished following Reddy's involvement in a series of illegal mining scandals, culminating in his imprisonment. Reddy's absence from Ballari, mandated by court rulings and protracted legal battles, presented an opportunity for the Congress to mount a resurgence in the region.

As Reddy experienced a gradual marginalisation and eventual departure from the BJP, his close associate and prominent schedule tribe leader, B Sriramulu, opted to remain with the party. This choice dashed Reddy's hopes of forming a new political entity by combining his financial influence with Sriramulu's community backing. However, in the last Assembly election, the performance of KRPP was lacklustre, with Reddy being the sole successful candidate. Sriramulu is now the BJP's candidate from the Ballari Lok Sabha constituency.

Political observers say the amalgamation of Reddy's financial resources and Sriramulu's community support within the BJP now sets the stage for a scenario akin to the one witnessed in the 2008 Assembly election, during which the BJP emerged as the single largest party with 110 seats.

More significantly, Reddy has earlier played a key role in bolstering the BJP's influence in the Ballari district, and his enduring sway is widely acknowledged, extending to adjacent regions such as Chitradurga, Koppal, and Raichur. Presently, this support continues to hold significant strategic value for the BJP in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Reddy first rose to political prominence during the 1999 Lok Sabha elections when he actively campaigned for the late BJP leader Sushma Swaraj. Notably, Swaraj contested against Congress' Sonia Gandhi from Ballari, propelling Reddy into the political limelight.