BELAGAVI: The political scenario in Karnataka`s Belagavi district, which has the second-highest number of Assembly seats in the state after Bengaluru Urban, is being dominated by the Jarkiholi brothers and the Katti family. While Ramesh and Balachandra Jarkiholi are with the BJP, their brother Satish is one of the main strategists for the Congress in the constituency. All three were ministers in both the Congress and the BJP governments.


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Ramesh and Balachandra Jarkiholi are contesting from the Gokak and Arabhavi Assembly constituencies, respectively, while Satish is contesting from Yemkanmaradi seat. Former Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Laxman Sivadi quit the BJP after he was denied a ticket and this is being attributed to the power of Ramesh Jarkiholi.


Sivadi is now contesting from his Athani seat on a Congress ticket and his rival is Mahesh Kumathalli, Ramesh Jarkiholi`s protege. The Jarkiholi brothers are sugar barons and have a chequered history in the area. They belong to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category and there have been calls of limiting them to their reserved constituencies. But the money and muscle power of the siblings is making the difference ahead of the May 10 Assembly elections.


Meanwhile, the Khatti is a powerful Lingayat family but the passing away of Umesh Khatti, who was an eight-term MLA and six-term minister, has dented some of their influence. However, his brother and former MP, Ramesh Khatti is contesting on a BJP ticket from the Chikkodi-Sadalga Assembly seat. Umesh Khatti`s son, Nikhil is contesting from the Hukkeri Assembly seat represented earlier by his father.


The Jolles are also a powerful family in the region and Shashikala Jolle, the minister for Religious and Charitable endowment, is seeking people`s mandate from Nippani Assembly seat. Her husband Anand Jolle is an MP from Chikkodi in Belagavi district. It is to be noted that the district has 18 seats and of which 13 are dominated by the Lingayat community which has lost two of its powerful leaders -- former Union Minister of State for Railways, Suresh Angadi and Umesh Khatti.


The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) is dominant in five seats and has the support of NCP-Shiva Sena combine. There is 40 per cent of Marathi speaking population in these areas as Belagavi was part of the erstwhile Bombay presidency. While Belagavi has been a BJP bastionn several factors are leading to the situation turning tough for the saffron party including the passing away of Suresh Angadi and Umesh Khatti as well as the defection of Laxman Sivadi. The BJP is now trying to bank upon the power of Ramesh Jarikolli to deliver the seats for the party.