Aruna Lakshmi is the wife of former Karnataka minster and mining baron Gali Janardana Reddy, who is the trump card in the Bellary City assembly seat from newly launched Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha (KRPP) party. Reddy’s brother G Somasekhara Reddy is currently the MLA in this constituency from the ruling BJP. His another brother G Karunakara Reddy is a BJP MLA from Harapanahalli assembly segment.
Reddy has been prohibited by the Supreme Court to enter Bellari City as a bail condition in an alleged multi-crore illegal mining case. This is believed to be the reason why he fielded his wife from his home district and himself contested from Gangavathi seat.
The Reddy family of Bellary have the highest number of family members in fray. Four family members contested. Bellary City nominee and MLA Gali Somashekar Reddy and his elder brother of Harapanahalli MLA Gali Karunakara Reddy were contesting from the constituency. Another brother, former minister and mining baron, Gali Janardhana Reddy, resigned from the BJP and formed the Kalyana Rajya Pragati Party. Janardhana contested from Gangavathi and his wife Aruna Lakshmi from Bellary city. “I am ready to contest against my brother,” Somashekara had said earlier this year.
