Former BJP minister quits, to contest poll as independent | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Former BJP minister quits, to contest poll as independent

Hindustan Times | By, Bangalore
Nov 10, 2011 01:08 AM IST

Former BJP minister B Sriramulu, who had been dropped from the cabinet after BS Yeddyurappa resigned as Karnataka chief minister, has quit the party.

Former BJP minister B Sriramulu, who had been dropped from the cabinet after BS Yeddyurappa resigned as Karnataka chief minister, has quit the party.

HT Image
HT Image

On Wednesday he submitted his nomination for byelection in Bellary (Rural) as an independent candidate.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Sriramulu is a close aide of former minister and mining baron B Janardhana Reddy, now in jail on charges of illegal mining, and helped the BJP to win power for the first time in a south Indian state in 2008.

"I have not betrayed the party. I had worked for the party and gave strength to it. But the party sidelined me, forcing me to seek re-election as an independent," Sriramulu said after filing his nomination papers.

The bypoll is on November 30.

Sriramulu, a scheduled tribe leader, is claiming he has the support of 15 MLAs in the assembly, which now has 225 members, including the Speaker. The sanctioned strength is 226.

The BJP and allies have 118 members.

To stress his closeness to the party central leadership, Sriramulu once referred to BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, who lost to Congress president Sonia Gandhi from the Bellary Lok Sabha seat in 1999, as 'Amma'.

In a letter to BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, Sriramulu has said the state unit of the party sidelined him, and some leaders were trying to "finish him" politically. This was despite the "help" the state BJP received from Sriramulu and the Reddy brothers (Janardhana and former minister Karunakara Reddy) during every crisis, he said.

Before filing his nomination, he met Janardhana Reddy at Chanchalguda prison in Hyderabad. MLA Somashekhar Reddy, who is also Janardhana Reddy's brother, was with him at the time of filing his nomination.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Arvind Kejriwal News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On