Karnataka elections 2018: G Karunakara Reddy, BJP, Harapanahalli

G Karunakara Reddy, the eldest of the Reddy brothers, is contesting from Harapanahalli on a BJP ticket.

G Karunakara Reddy, 56, is the eldest of the Reddy brothers, the mining barons who were probed by the Karnataka Lokayukta scanner for allegedly illegal mining in 2011. The Reddy brothers started as small-time businessmen, but a foray into the mining industry brought fortune as well as considerable political influence in Bellary.

G Karunakara Reddy, who is contesting from Harapanahalli on a BJP ticket.

The brothers made an entry into politics in 1999. In 2008, Karunakara won the Harapanhalli seat on a BJP ticket, and he, along with younger brother Janardhan Reddy, were made ministers in the BS Yeddyurappa-government. The BJP is relying on the Bellary brothers’ influence to win in Karnataka, and the Reddy brothers and their friend Sriramulu, have managed to secure six tickets for family and friends.