Despite repeated claims to the contrary by the government, the bifurcation of Ballari district seems to be motivated by political compulsions and not administrative convenience, going by the way it is being implemented.
One of the reasons cited for the division is that Ballari town, the district headquarters of undivided Ballari, is far away from some taluks and this causes inconvenience to residents in some corners. However, the choice of Hosapete, situated at the northern end of the new district, as headquarters goes against this logic. While there was a demand to make Harapanahalli the headquarters, that too is located is at the southern end of the district.
Many see the bifurcation and choice of headquarters more as a “gift” by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to Forest Minister Anand Singh, the MLA for Hosapete, rather than to the people who have been inconvenienced by distance issues. He was among the MLAs who migrated to the BJP and helped topple the Congress-JD(S) coalition government.
He is also a strategic counterweight to the Reddy brothers. This was evident in the opposition from G. Somashekhar Reddy and B. Sriramulu to the bifurcation, though it was short-lived. Now, with political leaders going quiet, the voices against bifurcation too have died down after a symbolic protest last week.
