BELLARY: Putting his initial hesitation behind, former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday took Independent challenger B Sriramulu head-on as he and his confidant Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda accompanied by their Cabinet colleagues, launched a vigorous campaign for the Bellary Rural byelection.The very presence of the duo and a host of ministerial colleagues like Jagadish Shettar, Basavaraj Bommai, Murugesh Nirani, Ramdas and MLA B Anand Singh is said to have sent shivers in the Congress and Sriramulu camps.With the presence of senior leaders from both BJP and Congress, Sriramulu is said to have lost much of his swagger. While the BJP is determined to retain the seat, Congress is trying hard to grab it at any cost.In a show of strength and unity, Sadananda Gowda, Yeddyurappa, state BJP president K S Eshwarappa and their ministerial colleagues travelled atop a vehicle on Tuesday, cheered by hundreds of workers, who were enthused by Yeddyurappa’s decision to campaign for the party. After arriving by the Hampi Express at Bellary railway station in the morning, the entourage, after a brief refreshment and a symbolic puja at Shri Kanaka Durgamma temple, got down to business. They sent Sriramulu a strong message by beginning their roadshow at the Cowl Bazaar area in the Bellary Rural constituency dominated by the former health minister’s followers.Yeddyurappa, addressing gatherings in Cowl Bazaar area which is dominated by the minority community, termed Sriramulu’s resignation as a political gimmick and an insult to democracy. He alleged that opponents were trying to create a fear psychosis in Bellary during elections and urged the people to vote for BJP since his government had sanctioned crores of rupees for the development of the region.Both Yeddyurappa and the Chief Minister reiterated that the party’s doors were closed on the Reddys, who, Yeddyurappa said, misused power.Yeddyurappa and the Chief Minister said that nobody could shake the state government.Meanwhile, Sriramulu, who undertook intensive campaigning in Haraginadoni, Janekunte, Belagallu and Honnalli, said, “We were the ones who made Yeddyurappa the CM and with our efforts, the BJP came to power in the state.”
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