Belagavi district with the second one maximum wide variety of meeting seats after Bengaluru Urban — is anticipated to stand a difficult contest among the BJP and Congress as Lingayat politics surmounts the neighborhood issues, however the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) should play spoilsport in some seats because it desires to maintain the border trouble alive. There are 18 meeting constituencies withinside the border district that’s a Lingayat stronghold and has been a BJP stronghold withinside the remaining decades.
As withinside the remaining 3 elections, it’s far possibly to be a instantly contest among the BJP and Congress in maximum of the meeting seats barring 5 in which the Shiv Sena-NCP supported MES — a vocal proponent of the inclusion of Belagavi and different Marathi-speakme regions in Maharashtra — has fielded neighborhood candidates.
The management vacuum withinside the Lingayat network after sidelining of stalwart chief B S Yediyurappa, deaths of a few distinguished neighborhood Lingayat BJP leaders like Suresh Angadi and Umesh Katti and the growing clout of politically influencial Jarkiholi own circle of relatives belonging to scheduled tribes network — are anticipated to resonate amongst citizens.
The go out of many disgruntled BJP leaders together with 3-time MLA and previous Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi from Belagavi, over denial of the price price tag for the imminent meeting election — is possibly to dent a few votes here.
On the opposite hand, MES is making an attempt difficult to maintain the border trouble alive in Belagavi, which become a part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency and constitutes almost forty in line with cent Marathi-speakme populace. The triangular combat should dent votes of countrywide events in 5 Marathi-speakme ruled constituencies.
Five of the constituencies withinside the district are ruled via way of means of Marathas, even as Lingayats shape a majority in maximum of the thirteen ultimate constituencies. There is a substantial populace of OBCs and SCs/STs as well, with seats reserved for those corporations withinside the district.
In the district, in which many elected representatives are sugar barons, 3 effective political families — the Jharkiholis, the Jolles and the Khattis — experience electoral dominance.
From the Jharkiholi own circle of relatives, Ramesh Jarkiholi and Balachandra Jarkiholi are contesting on a BJP price price tag from Gokak and Arabhavi meeting constituencies, respectively. Another member of the own circle of relatives, Satish Jarkihol is contesting on a Congress price price tag from theYemkanmardi seat.
The Jarkiholi brothers are regarded to extrade events. Ramesh Jarkiholi become a minister withinside the Congress-JD(S) coalition authorities earlier than becoming a member of the BJP ranks. He become a few of the 17 MLAs who defected from the Congress and helped BJP to topple the Congress-JDS coalition authorities in 2019.
His clout withinside the district is difficult to disregard as he has ensured BJP price price tag to his fans who defected from Congress, which has disillusioned the conventional celebration leaders specially his political rival Laxman Savadi. Another distinguished own circle of relatives are Jolles represented via way of means of the incumbent Muzrai (Religious and Charitable Endowments) minister Shashikala Jolle who’s contesting on a BJP price price tag from Nippani constituency. Her husband Anna Saheb Jolle is the BJP Lok Sabha member from Chikkodi in Belagavi district.
From the Khatti own circle of relatives, Ramesh Khatti — who represented the Chikkodi parliamentary constituency from 2009-2014 — is contesting on a BJP price price tag from the Chikkodi-Sadalga MLA seat this time, even as his nephew Nikil Katti from Hukkeri meeting constituency after premature demise of his father Umesh Khatti, who become an 8 time MLA and 6 time minister.
After quitting BJP over denial of a price price tag, Laxman Savadi is contesting on a Congress price price tag from the Athani meeting seat to avenge his humiliation from the BJP, specially Ramesh Jarkiholi. He has to stand Mahesh Kumathalli, then withinside the Congress, now the BJP nominee Ramesh has variations with a few Congress leaders like Laxmi Hebbalkar who’s contesting from Belagavi Rural seat. Both of them are contesting from distinctive constituencies however are attempting difficult to defeat every different to settle non-public grudges.
There are 39.01 lakh citizens withinside the 18 meeting constituencies of Belagavi district. Out of which, 19,68,928 are male citizens, 19,32,576 ladies and 141 registered as Others, as in line with the reliable data.
In the 2018 polls, the BJP gained 10 and Congress eight seats, which modified after the defections in 2019. Three Congress MLAs — Ramesh Jarkiholi (Gokak), Mahesh Kumathalli (Athani) and Shrimanth Patil (Kagwad) — resigned and joined the BJP.
