In Ballari’s Bandimot, despite the sweltering heat, Gali Somashekara Reddy was walking through narrow bylanes, seeking support from the residents of a Muslim-dominated neighbourhood. With folded hands, the entourage led by Somasekhara, the youngest of the three Reddy brothers (the other two being Gali Janardhana Reddy and Gali Karunakara Reddy), sought residents to vote for the BJP. Somashekara is taking on his sister-in-law Aruna Lakshmi, wife of Janardhana. She is contesting from the newly-launched Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha (KRPP) party in Ballari city.
Somashekara Reddy has previously worked as the vice president and the president of the municipal council. He has also served as the mayor of Ballari city. In 2008, he was elected as the MLA from the BJP. In 2018, he was re-elected after he won against Anil Lad of the Congress. This time, he is hoping to be re-elected for the third time as the MLA of Ballari city.
Speaking to TNM during the hectic campaigning, Gali Somashekara Reddy said, “My experience is my promise to the people. They know my experience. People know that I am always available and that I have no other business. I am a service-oriented person. They know I am approachable and that I will solve their problems. I know every street and every nook and corner of the city and also the problems of the people.”
When asked about locking horns with his sister-in-law, Somashekara said, “In a democratic country, anybody is free to contest. They are contesting from their party while I am contesting from the BJP. From the beginning, I have been associated with the BJP.”
When asked about contesting against two Reddy candidates in Ballari, Somashekara said, “Reddy community votes are very less within the city. There is a sizeable Reddy community vote in the villages.” Besides his sister-in-law, KRPP’s Aruna Lakshmi, Congress’s Bharat Reddy is the other candidate who is also from the Reddy community.
“However, I know how to win Ballari,” he added as his supporters broke into loud cheering and applause.
Somashekara Reddy also revealed that he had tried to mediate between his brother and the BJP, but to no avail. “We requested Janardhana Reddy several times not to launch his own party. I know how many times we requested him. I had also requested BJP leaders to take him back into the BJP fold. But it did not happen,” he said.
Watch video interview: