Will retain Bellary seat, says CM

BANGALORE: Undeterred by former minister B Sriramulu’s decision to contest as an independent candidate in the upcoming Bellary rural byelections, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said that the BJP would take this up as a challenge and retain the seat.Speaking on the sidelines of a function here on Wednesday, the CM exuded confidence that the party  nominee would win the byelection. He said that the BJP’s victory run in bypolls in the state would continue in Bellary too.“Ours is a national party; we will deploy all force to check the once powerful BJP leader and ensure  the victory of our candidate,” he said. Gowda added that the decision to field a candidate will be  taken by senior party leaders, including former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and BJP national  president Nitin Gadkari. “By winning the bypoll we will disprove the myth that the state BJP is a divided house,” he asserted.Sriramulu, the former health minister, had quit the BJP after he and former tourism minister G Janardhana Reddy were sidelined during the formation of the new state Cabinet.