[1]Former health minister and Bellary Rural MLA B. Sreeramulu is planning a grand launch of his political outfit in Bengaluru city on June 17, after undertaking a 51-day padayatra across the state. The name of the new party will be kept secret and will be announced during the Bengaluru convention. Sources said Mr Sreeramulu, who broke away from the BJP last year and later won a byelection by a huge margin, will begin his padayatra on April 24 from Bidar. He plans to recruit cadre and appoint office bearers during the yatra to Bengaluru and will criss-cross through 24 districts.
The Valmiki community leader is exploring the possibility of striking an alliance with a suitable party so that he will not have to fend for himself in the 2013 Assembly polls. There were reports that he was planning to tie up with the JD(U) or JD(S) which backed him in the Bellary bypoll last year.
“At the moment, he is intent on playing the backward class card and win as many seats as possible in the Assembly polls so that he can manouvre himself into a position of strength. He is unlikely to return to the BJP due to the Sushma Swaraj factor—she had stopped supporting the Reddy brothers after they were indicted in the mining scam. Sreeramulu who is close to the Reddys, is in no mood to work with her,’’ sources said. Sreeramulu is also closely watching the developments in the BJP where a bitter B.S. Yeddyurappa is exploring all options including quitting the party. They did not rule out a pre-poll alliance with a political party which could even be the BJP.
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