Is Reddy's clout waning in BJP?

Bangalore: The Bellary mining magnates and once all-powerfull Reddy brothers seemed to have lost their clout over the party, going by their failure in convincing BJP leadership to retain them in Karnataka ministry. G Janardhana Reddy, his brother Karunakara Reddy and their close family and business associate B Sreeramulu, for whom the doors of the Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda-led ministry has been shut, made last-minute efforts in vain to regain their ministerial berths. In the wake of their indictment by Lokayukta report on illegal mining, the BJP high command, it is understood, bluntly told them a firm “no” to their request, sources in the party said. [caption id=“attachment_59425” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“In the wake of their indictment by Lokayukta report on illegal mining, the BJP high command, it is understood, bluntly told them a firm “no” to their request. Screen grab from ibnlive.com”]  [/caption] Janardhana and Karunakara had engaged themselves in hectic lobbying in Delhi trying to convince the party high command that in the light of V Somanna, whose name also figured in the mining report finding place in the ministry, they should also be given similar treatment. The top BJP leadership refused to buy their arguments remarking that their case and Somanna’s differred vastly and holds no water. Janardhana Reddy, who once commanded support of sizeable number of MLAs and even threatened to topple the BS Yeddyurappa-led government by staging a political coup in October-Novermber 2009, seemed not to enjoy the same support now. Sensing that Yeddyurappa’s ouster had become imminent, Reddys threw their lot behind the rebel leader Jagadish Shettar with a hope to drum up support from this group. Similarly, the aspirations of D N Jeevaraj, who recently quit as Chief Whip to join the ministry and also one of the state unit General Secretaries, C T Ravi has not fructified despite they lobbying hard. Even as the threat of resentment among those denied ministerial berth loomed large, state unit BJP president KS Eswrappa maintained there was no problem in the party.“We have undertaken smoothly the first and second ministry expansion. The same will be the case for the next round of expansion”, he said soon after today’s swearing-in ceremony.