As Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah touched down earlier this week in north Karnataka to file his nomination for the Badami seat, the BJP had his challenger standing by: B Sriramalu, currently its MP in Bellary. It was an indication that Mr Sriramulu, commonly described as a key aide to Janardhan Reddy, the scam-hit mining baron from Bellary, is emerging as a political force in his own right. In the 2008 assembly election, the BJP powered to victory in part because of the Reddy-Sriramulu combination, a potent mix of the mining capital of Mr Reddy and his brothers, and the political capital of Mr Sriramulu, a rising leader of the tribal community.
