Ballari: In a calculated move, the BJP has fielded Valmiki Nayaka community leader and sitting Ballari MP B. Sriramulu from Molakalmuru assembly constituency in Chitradurga, to directly strike at the Valmiki vote bank in central Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka regions.
Sriramulu, a close aide of the powerful Reddy Brothers of Ballari, has been moved out of his home turf, Ballari to neighbouring Chitradurga in central Karnataka, to create a ripple effect in the ST belt and galvanise tribal votes for the BJP.
There are 11 seats reserved for Scheduled Tribes in Central and Hyderabad Karnataka of the 15 seats in the state. Besides, the ST community is a deciding factor in 20 seats in this region.
Sensing that the ST community is leaning towards the BJP in this election, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah reportedly called on Valmiki leaders of his party, AICC secretary Satish Jarkiholi and minister Ramesh Jarkiholi to counter the influence of Sriramulu in his community.
Mr Sriramulu is a ST community leader who can speak Telugu and people of his community in central and Hyderabad Karnataka speak the same language. “Hence, he directly connects with his people. The ST community respects the Jarkiholi brothers who hails from Belagavi. But, when it comes to elections, they are not so hugely popular in their community so as to attract votes for the Congress. They can however influence the ST community in the Mumbai-Karnataka region", said a Nayaka community leader.
Moving Sriramulu from Ballari to Molakalmuru is a significant move of the BJP to woo the ST community after the Union cabinet recently approved the inclusion of ‘Talwara’ and ‘Parivara’ (synonyms for Nayakas) in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Karnataka. This inclusion is believed to have been done to attract the ST votes in the region besides those in Mysuru and Chamarajnagar districts. Interestingly, the ST communities started gravitating towards the BJP after Siddaramaiah led Congress government introduced state-wide celebrations on Tipu Jayanti in 2015. The move angered the Nayaka community in Chitradurga, as Hyder Ali (Tipu's father) is believed to have poisoned their leader, Madakari Nayaka to death.
The recent visit of BJP president Amit Shah to Chitradurga to address a massive ST convention, his gesture of garlanding the statue of Madakari Nayaka, and giving an assurance to build a memorial for the feudal king, has sent positive vibes among the community, claim BJP sources.
