Gali Janardhana Reddy
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Though the formal contest was between Congress candidate E. Annapurna and BJP candidate Bangaru Hanumantha in the Sandur Assembly constituency byelection, the real fight was between Labour Minister Santosh Lad and BJP leader Gali Janardhana Reddy who led the intensive campaigns from the front for their respective parties.
The byelection was very crucial for Mr. Reddy to prove his strength and restore his supremacy in the district. Barred by the court from entering Ballari district in connection with illegal mining cases, Mr. Reddy had remained outside the district for around 13 years. It was a few days before the announcement of the Sandur byelection that he was relieved of the restriction by the Supreme Court.
His prolonged absence had considerably eroded his support base in the district and the relief from the Supreme Court was an opportunity to restore his lost ground in the district and position in the party. He did everything possible to make it.
However, Mr. Lad left no stone unturned to counter this. The Sandur contest thus turned out to be a proxy war between these two mining barons. And, Mr. Reddy had to bow at the end as Lad-backed Congress candidate Ms. Annapurna emerged victorious by a margin of 9,649 votes in the closely fought contest.
Published – November 23, 2024 07:45 pm IST