J. N. Ganesh

J.N. Ganesh is an Indian politician from the state of Karnataka. He is the current MLA for Kampli representing Congress. He became infamous for his fight with former mentor, fellow Congress MLA Anand Singh.

Born to Corporator J.N. Venkobba in Hosur, Ballari, he grew up in a farmer's family. He completed 12th Boards and went to college but dropped out. He soon became a local debt recovery agent and became popular. He was an infamous recovery agent and rowdy, and the police opened up a history sheet for him and his brother Parashurama when he was 23 and his brother 26. He was engaged in many fights with hotel employees when he refused to pay. One of his most infamous crimes was the attack of a Traffic circle inspector in 2006.

He was an RSS shaka, helping to boost enrollment. In 2013, Anand Singh spotted Ganesh's political talent and introduced him to mining baron Janardhan Reddy, a big person in Ballari. Afterwards, Ganesh unsuccessfully sought a ticket from BJP and Congress for 2013 elections, and contested as an Independent. He lost to incumbent MLA T. H. Suresh Babu by 36,000 Votes. In 2018, however, he defeated Babu by 5000 votes on a Congress ticket.

When BJP did Operation Kamala, they approached Ganesh and another MLA Bheema Naik to switch parties to BJP, and they were both about to do so. However, Anand Singh told Congress leadership and forced them to stay within the party, angering both politicians. Then, Congress hustled all its MLAs to Eagleton resort in Bidadi, on the edge of Bengaluru. At the resort Ganesh and Singh got into a drunken brawl, where Ganesh assaulted Singh with a Flower Pot and other objects, while other MLAs with them tried to stop the assault. Singh had to be rushed to hospital, and Ganesh absconded. Congress suspended him and the police filed an FIR against him for Attempt to murder. Ganesh's supporters protested KPCC chief Dinesh Gundu Rao asking for Ganesh's unsuspension. The day after he claimed responsibility for the assault and apologized to Singh and his family. Three days later he wrote a Facebook post claiming Singh had insulted him and said poor people like Ganesh should not be in the same room as him. He also claimed Singh insulted his Nayak caste, which made him attack Singh.

Afterwards the police formed multiple search teams to nab him, but he fled out of the state. Police threatened to open his closed rowdy sheeter cases. After one month, in February 2019, Ganesh was nabbed in a hotel in Somnath, Gujarat and sent back to Karnataka. He got bail over the objections of Anand Singh.

After BL Santosh said Dalits were migrants, Ganesh threatened a Protest.