Why is Janardhan Reddy campaigning for Sriramulu: BJP has this answer

First Amit Shah said that the BJP had nothing to do with the Reddy brothers. Now Janardhan Reddy, probably the most powerful among the three brothers has been seen campaigning in Molakmuru for the BJP candidate and his close aide, Sriramulu.

He even shared the dais with B S Yeddyurappa and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Shivraj Singh Chouhan. These developments led the Congress to question the BJP's intention of getting Reddy into the campaign trail.

The BJP, however, says that it has not officially asked Reddy to the campaign. The BJP's spokesperson Vaman Acharya said that he has not been asked to the campaign, but is supporting the candidate as an individual. He further went on to say anyone can campaign for the party candidate.

While the BJP has distanced itself from the Reddy issue, the fact is that Karnataka is witnessing a return of the Reddys who had helped the BJP conquer Karnataka in 2008. Both Karunakara and Somashekhara Reddy have been given tickets from Harpanahalli and Ballari city respectively. Lallesh Reddy, a relative of the Reddys is contesting from the BTM layout constituency in Bengaluru. Their close friends and also close aides of Sriramulu are also contesting. Suresh Babu, Sanna Fakirappa and M S Somalingappa are fighting the Kampli town, Ballari rural and Shiraguppa respectively.

If one looks closely at the campaign it is evident that Janardhan Reddy is micro-managing it. In fact, he is overseeing the campaign not only in Molakmuru but also in Ballari. However, he is perched at a distance as a court order bars him from entering Ballari. So is Janardhan Reddy campaigning for the BJP. Officially the answer is no.