The children of Minister and KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi, Priyanka Jarkiholi and Rahul Jarkiholi, have begun their campaign tour on behalf of the Congress for the Lok Sabha elections.
The Jarkiholi sister and brother addressed a few meetings and rallies in Chikkodi parliamentary constituency on Monday.
They sought votes for the party while highlighting the achievements of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and their father, Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi.
But they did not say who the candidate will be for the party in the parliamentary polls.
The 27-year-old Youth Congress leader Priyanka Jarkiholi has an MBA degree. She has been involved in causes like women empowerment through the Jarkiholi Foundation. She campaigned for her father in the last Assembly and parliamentary elections. Satish Jarkiholi has conceded that the party is discussing possibilities of fielding her, but no final decision has been taken yet.
Shettar factor
The Congress is said to be keen on her candidature from Chikkodi as the BJP is likely to field Jagadish Shettar from Belagavi. This is expected to increase the involvement of the Jarkiholi brothers in the poll process in Belagavi district. The BJP has re-nominated its MP Anna Saheb Jolle from Chikkodi.
Mr. Shettar, a former CM has changed parties twice in the last one year first, by quitting the BJP to join the Congress before the Assembly polls and in January, he was already back in the BJP, with four months to go for the Lok Sabha polls.
Mr. Shettar is likely to replace MP and BJP leader Mangala Angadi. The two leaders are related, as Mr. Shettar ‘s son Sankalp Shettar is married to Ms. Angadi’s daughter Shraddha Angadi.
Rumours
There are rumours of Mrinal Hebbalkar, son of Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, being the Congress nominee from Belagavi Lok Sabha seat. Ms. Hebbalkar’s brother Channaraj Hattiholi is a Congress MLC.
Dynasty politics
Voters in Belagavi, however, are not strangers to family politics. Whenever possible, politically-influential families have accommodated their children, brothers, nephews or cousins in the power structure.
The former Union Minister B. Shankaranand fought nine elections from the Chikkodi Lok Sabha seat and won seven of them from 1960-1980s. His son Pradeep Kanagali got ticket only to lose to Janata Dal(U)‘s Ramesh Jigajinagi. His other son Omprakash Kanagali became a member of the Veerappa Moily Cabinet.
V.L. Patil, who was among the elected members of the first Assembly, was among the powerful Kuruba community leaders in North Karnataka. His son Amarsinh Patil has been a Lok Sabha member. His other son Vivekrao Patil has been an MLC. His daughter Pratibha Patil lost an Assembly election.
All the five Jarkiholi brothers have tested political waters, four successfully. Ramesh Jarkiholi and Balachandra Jarkiholi are BJP MLAs and Satish Jarkiholi is a Congress leader. Lakhan Jarkiholi has retained his Independent identity in the Legislative Council, but is most commonly seen with his eldest brother Ramesh Jarkiholi. Bhimshi Jarkiholi, the youngest of them, has contested as a BJP candidate in the past and lost. Balachandra Jarkiholi has served as KMF chairman. Ramesh Jarkiholi’s son Amarnath Jarkiholi is a KMF director. The children of the Jarkiholi brothers are entering politics from different platforms.
Lok Sabha member from Chikkodi Annasaheb Jolle is the husband of the former Minister Shashikala Jolle.
Vishwanath Katti was a veteran Janata Parivar leader, cooperative sector leader and former Minister. He is the father of BJP leaders late Umesh Katti, former Minister, and Ramesh Katti, former MP.
The former Minister A.B. Patil’s father Basangouda Patil was a Minister in the 1970s.
Bailhongal MLA Mahantesh Koujalgi is a third-generation legislator. His father Shivanand Koujalgi was a Minister in the J.H. Patel Cabinet. Shivanand Koujalgi’s father H.V. Koujalgi was an MP in 1963.
The former Deputy Speaker Anand Mamani was an MLA from Saundatti. His father Chandrashekar Mamani had served in the same position in the 1990s.
The Pattan family from Ramdurg and the Allam family from Kurgod are the only two families in Karnataka where the father, mother and son have all been MLAs, in various decades.
Mahadevappa Pattan and Sharadamma Pattan, parents of MLA and Congress leader Ashok Pattan, have both served as MLA s from Ramdurg earlier.
