Development main poll plank in Ballari

Ballari: It’s hardly surprising that it’s a battle of the mining lords in iron-ore rich Ballari city,  with all three men in the fray seeming confident of winning the May 12 assembly poll on their own steam from the constituency.

While the BJP has fielded G Somashekara Reddy of the Reddy brothers’ fame, the Congress is once again banking on its sitting MLA and former mining baron, Anil H Lad and the JD(S) has pinned its hopes on mining baron, Mohammed Iqbal Hothur , who is hoping to emerge the dark horse in the triangular contest.

Interestingly, despite the tug of war among the mining barons, there is no mention of illegal mining or money power these polls unlike in the past. The focus instead is on development.

Following their rise in 2008, the Reddy brothers, who virtually turned  Ballari into their fiefdom, had promised to transform it into one of the most progressive and developed cities of the country, but failed to deliver. This, is however, not stopping Mr Somashekhar Reddy, who was arrested in 2012 by the Andhra Pradesh Anti-Corruption Bureau for allegedly trying to bribe a judge, from  promising to bring back Ballari’s “lost glory” in his campaign speeches.