Known as the sugar barons of Belagavi, the four Jarkiholi brothers always contest from different political parties – and at least one of them has always been at the helm of power.
Bye-polls are slated to be held in Karnataka on December 5 in 15 constituencies, and both the Congress and BJP are gearing up for a tough battle. This time, the spotlight is on Belagavi, the district where the rebellion arose, which culminated in 17 legislators from across the state resigning to bring down the Congress-JD(S) coalition in July. Rumblings of dissent arose in the Belagavi Congress in October 2018 when former legislator and strongman from Gokak, Ramesh Jarkiholi, openly expressed his displeasure with the coalition government. Ramesh Jarkiholi is believed to have convinced two other leaders from Belagavi district – Mahesh Kumatahalli from Athani and Srimanth Patil from Kagwad – to also resign. With bye-polls slated to be held in a month, Ramesh Jarkiholi is likely to join the BJP and contest from Gokak. The Congress is now mulling over pitting Lakhan Jarkiholi, Ramesh’s younger brother, as its candidate from Gokak. The recent floods that ravaged most of Gokak has resulted in immense anti-incumbency for Ramesh. Snatching up the opportunity to undermine Ramesh, his brother Satish Jarkiholi threw his weight behind Lakhan and began speaking against Ramesh during his visit to the flood-affected areas in Gokak constituency since August this year. Ever since, both Satish and Lakhan Jarkiholi have become everyday figures in the politics of Gokak, constantly reminding the electorate in their daily campaigns that Ramesh Jarkiholi was holed up in a star hotel in Mumbai while his constituents needed his support. When the coalition collapsed, the decades-old feud between Ramesh and his brother Satish surfaced once again. Satish had vowed to pit Lakhan from Gokak against Ramesh “to teach him a befitting lesson.” Known as the sugar barons of Belagavi, the Jarkiholi brothers – Ramesh, Satish, Balachandra and Lakhan – all have political ambitions. The brothers always contest from different political parties and no matter which party is in power, one of the Jarkiholis has always been at the helm of power either as the head of a state-run corporation or as a minister. While Satish and Lakhan are with the Congress, Balachandra is with the BJP. Ramesh, who was with the Congress and once a close associate of Siddaramaiah, is now set to join BJP after the Supreme Court decides on the issue of disqualification, sources say. Prior to the bye-polls, three of the Jarkiholi brothers – Ramesh, Satish and Balachandra – had picked three different segments in Belagavi, which they turned into their fiefdoms. The brothers had promised each other that they would not interfere in the goings-on in the others’ constituencies. Hence, Ramesh Jarkiholi made Gokak his stronghold. Balachandra would control Arabhavi and Satish Jarkiholi made Yemkanmardi his fortress. This agreement, however, did not stop the brothers from fighting amongst themselves. Between 2013 and 2018 Assembly elections in Karnataka, the brothers – especially Ramesh and Satish – fought over interference in matters related to each other’s constituency. In 2018, Satish accused Ramesh of trying to pit local Congress leaders against him in order to ensure his defeat from Yemkanmardi. This time around, the feud has taken a new turn with Satish taking up the initiative of launching Lakhan’s political debut – all with the intention of defeating Ramesh. “Ramesh Jarkiholi is in a lot of debt. The BJP had promised to help him clear off his loans in exchange for resigning and help bringing down the coalition government. Now, Ramesh Jarkihoki will need more money to spend for the election campaign. Satish and Lakhan have been campaigning in Gokak for two months already and Ramesh Jarkiholi has not even started because of financial difficulties. The anti-incumbency and the lack of funds is a problem for Ramesh but may give Lakhan the edge,” the Congress source added. BJP insiders say that the party leaders had promised Ramesh a ticket to contest the bye-polls if he resigns. This has not gone well with local BJP leaders, who are threatening to defect or contest as independents. The rebellion in the BJP’s Belagavi unit has also put the chances of two other disqualified MLAs from the district – Mahesh Kumatahalli and Srimanth Patil – at risk. The BJP is planning to offer the Athani ticket to Laxman Savadi, the current Deputy CM, who was caught watching porn in the Assembly in 2012. This has made the rebels wary of the BJP’s promise to offer them tickets. In Kagwad, Raju Kage, the BJP leader who had contested and lost to Srimanth Patil, has openly threatened to join another party or contest as an independent if the BJP does not offer him a ticket. “The rebellion in the Belagavi unit (BJP) has made the task of picking candidates difficult. There is apprehension among national leaders that offering tickets to disqualified MLAs would increase the chances of BJP losing. Now those who resigned and were promised tickets are also scared of being wiped out of the political scenario. The high command will decide the candidate list after Supreme Court issues an order in the matter,” the BJP source said.
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