Bellary poll outcome will not affect BJP: Gowda

Bellary: Karnataka Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Saturday said the outcome of the November 30 Bellary bypoll, where rebel BJP leader and former minister B Sreeramulu contested as an Independent, would not have any impact on his government.

"The outcome of the bypoll will not have any impact on the BJP government," he told reporters in Bangalore. He was optimistic that BJP candidate Gadilingappa would win the poll, counting for which will be held on Sunday.

Besides Sreeramulu and Gadilingappa, the other candidate is Congress' Ramaprasad.

BJP sources said the party is in talks with five Independent legislators to secure support in case Sreeramulu wins and his supporters pose a threat to the government's stability.

The five were sacked from the Ministry in 2010 after they aligned with party dissidents and withdrew support to the government. They were among the 16 MLAs disqualified. But the Supreme Court restored their membership in May this year.

The bypoll was necessitated when Sreeramulu, a trusted lieutenant of mining barons G Janardhana Reddy and G Karunakara Reddy, quit Assembly membership after being denied a ministerial berth following his indictment along with the Reddy brothers in the Lokayukta report on illegal mining.

Janardhana Reddy is presently lodged in a Hyderabad jail after being arrested by CBI in an illegal mining case.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Aditya Amlan Biswas on Saturday reviewed arrangements made for counting, for which authorities have thrown a tight security cover.
The district administration has banned any processions, including victory celebrations as a precautionary measure.

PTI