Kalyana Rajya Pragathi Paksha leader G Janardhana Reddy merges his party with BJP and his wife and politician Aruna Lakshmi also joins the party. (ANI videograb)

NEW DELHI: Former mining baron Gali Janardhana Reddy, who quit the BJP ahead of the 2023 assembly elections and formed the Karnataka Rajya Pragathi Party, merged his entity with his former party on Monday. Reddy and his wife Aruna Lakshmi joined the saffron party in presence of party leader BS Yediyurappa and Karnataka BJP president BY Vijayendra.
“Today I joined BJP by merging my party with BJP. I will work as a BJP worker to make PM Modi, Prime Minister for the 3rd time. I have joined the party without any conditions, I don’t need any positions,” said Reddy, while talking to media persons.
The merger follows extensive meetings with Union home minister Amit Shah and state leaders over the past week. Ex-associate and former minister B Sriramulu persuaded Reddy to re turn to the party fold a year after he felt “sidelined” and quit BJP, a decision he had termed painful and emotional. Reddy’s party won only one seat — Koppal district’s Gangavati, represented by him — and failed to make big dent in the BJP’s vote share.
Reddy’s return to BJP is expected to boost Sriramulu’s campaign in Ballari in the Lok Sabha elections and help the party in Koppal too.