Mining baron Janardhana Reddy to rejoin BJP

Bengaluru: Mining baron and lone MLA of Karnataka Rajya Pragathi Paksha (KRPP) G Janardhana Reddy on Sunday said he would rejoin BJP on March 25.

The KRPP founder said he took the decision to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister again for the third time.

”After consulting my supporters, I took the decision. Tomorrow at 10 am I am rejoining BJP,” he told reporters here.

Reddy said he would support the BJP candidate from Ballari Lok Sabha constituency, B Sriramulu, whom he called a boy raised by him.

Sriramulu, a former minister, lost the assembly election from Ballari assembly segment in 2023.

Reddy was a minister in the BJP government headed by B S Yediyurappa and was jailed in the mining scam.

He had distanced himself from the BJP and founded the KRPP.

In the 2023 assembly election, he was instrumental in the defeat of his two brothers, G Karunakara Reddy and G Somashekara Reddy, who were BJP candidates from Harapanahalli and Ballari City respectively.

Reddy fielded his wife Aruna Lakshmi against his brother and BJP candidate Somashekara Reddy in Ballari City and ensured his defeat. Congress candidate Nara Bharath Reddy won from there.

In the Rajya Sabha elections held on February 27, he supported Congress.