The BJP is having the last laugh after giving tickets to defectors in the face of criticism from the opposition and even its own members. In three constituencies where bypolls were held—Mahalakshmi Layout, Yellapur and Chikkaballapur—the winning BJP candidates, who joined the party last month, had represented the seats in the past two polls.
But the image of a Baahubali (strongman), who can win irrespective of party, is most visible in Vijayanagara constituency. Since 2008, when the Hospet constituency was renamed Vijayanagara, Anand Singh has won from there. And trends from the counting of votes in the ongoing bypolls show that Anand Singh, fighting on a BJP ticket, is leading by over 30,000 votes against V.Y. Ghorpade of the Congress.
In 2008 and 2013, Anand Singh fought and won from Vijayanagara on tickets from the BJP. Anand Singh was tourism minister in the BJP government formed in 2008.
Anand Singh left the BJP to join the Congress ahead of the Assembly polls in 2018 and duly won from Vijayanagara, again. Anand Singh was a source of early concern for the Congress, when he went incommunicado even as the Congress and JD(S) scrambled to form a coalition government in May 2018.
Anand Singh was among the first Congress MLAs to resign from the H.D. Kumaraswamy government in July this year, on the grounds his “demands” had not been met. Among his demands were the bifurcation of a new Vijayanagara district from Ballari and cancellation of land allotment for a JSW Steel project.
Interestingly, in September this year, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa agreed to Anand Singh's demand for a new Vijayanagara district, amid opposition from the Congress and sections of the BJP.
During a campaign rally for Anand Singh in the recent bypolls, Yediyurappa promised to make him a minister.
Shortly before voting in the bypolls on December 5, Anand Singh was criticised for lavishly spending on his son's wedding. The Congress had alleged Anand Singh had spent Rs 2 crore to erect a pandal and spent as much on food. Demanding action from the Election Commission, the Congress alleged Singh was giving gold coins to 55,000 families in Vijayanagara.
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Anand Singh, a businessman who was associated with the infamous Ballari Reddy brothers, has been accused of illegally exporting iron ore. He was arrested in the case in October 2013 and in April 2015, getting bail on both occasions.
Anand Singh has been popular in the Hospet area for his philanthropy, which includes granting financial assistance to sick children and educational aid.
