Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections, mining baron Janardhana Reddy announced his wife Aruna Lakshmi as a candidate of Kalyana Rajya Pragati Paksha (KRPP) party from Ballari constituency. Lakshmi will contest against her husband's brother and sitting BJP MLA Somasekhara Reddy. Janardhana Reddy is a former BJP leader who's out on bail in relation to a multi-crore illegal mining case.