Ballari is one of the 28 Lok Sabha constituencies in Karnataka, India. It comprises eight legislative assembly segments, five of which are held by Congress MLAs. In early 2000s, Ballari shot into prominence after hitting international headlines because of the illegal mining scam by the Reddy brothers that left its land ravaged. The constituency (reserved for ST) is witnessing a tough fight between the former Minister and Naik community leader B. Sriramulu of the BJP and four-time legislator from Sandur E. Tukaram of the Congress. Both are from the Valmiki community that has a large presence in the constituency. The region is also under severe agricultural distress due to drought and crop losses.