When the dust settles in Ballari will it be Siddaramaiah or Sri smiling?
(WorldNews India)

Tucked away in the centre of Karnataka adjoining Andhra Pradesh, dry and dusty Ballari was at the centrestage of Karnataka politics in 2013 when a spree of mining scams and the complicity of the mighty Reddy brothers, swept the BJP out of power. With just nine Assembly seats, Ballari may be nowhere near Bengaluru (28 seats) in political clout, but it was the district which gave Siddaramaiah the leverage to lead the Congress to a comfortable majority in the State Assembly, after an explosive report on illegal mining by Justice Santosh Hegde wrecked any prospects the BJP had of returning to power. Adding to the BJP’s woes was a three-way split with veteran B.S. Yeddyurapa...