Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has responded to the lawmakers' demand for dividing Ballari to form a new district. The CM has directed chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar to include the proposal in the next Cabinet meeting.
The decision to bifurcate Ballari comes after Yediyurappa met representatives from the district, including religious leader Siddalinga Rajadeshikendra Shivacharya Bhagavatpada Swami of Shree Ujjaini Saddharma Simhasana Mahasamsthana Peetha, disqualified legislator Anand Singh and other leaders on Wednesday, September 18.
The delegation pressed the demand to divide Ballari and carve out a new district for the people to have better access to the district headquarters. After the meeting, the CM wrote an official note to the chief secretary.
Yediyurappa's official note stated that although Ballari has 11 revenue taluks and three revenue sub-divisions, some of the regions in the district are at a distance of 200 km from the district headquarters. "This makes it difficult for common people living in taluks far away from the district headquarters to travel for official work," read the note.
He said the bifurcation of Ballari to carve out Vijayanagara district will make the residents' lives more convenient. If the move gets cabinet approval, Karnataka will get its 31st district - Vijayanagara - with Hospet as its headquarters.
After the divergence of the eleven taluks, Vijayanagara district will have six taluks under it – Hosapet, Kampli, Hagaribommanahalli, Kottur, Hadagali, and Harapanahalli. Ballari district will keep the remaining five taluks – Ballari, Kurugodu, Siraguppa, Sandur, and Kudligi.
However, this issue may also have a political motive as the disqualified MLA Anand Singh was the one who demanded the separation. He is in good terms with the BJP leadership and was one of the first Congress leaders to resign from the party during the political crisis.
This will also be the golden move for Singh's campaign to gather votes for the upcoming by-polls in Vijayanagara (Hospet) constituency, from where he had won the 2018 elections.
