Belagavi: Former Karnataka CM Jagadish Shettar fights for political survival

BELAGAVI: For former chief minister Karnataka Jagadish Shettar (68), BJP candidate from Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency, this election is of immense significance as he is fighting for his political survival.

Shettar switched over to Congress after being denied a ticket by BJP in the assembly elections a year ago.

Congress gave him a ticket and he lost to the saffron party’s Mahesh Tenginkayi. Yet, Congress made him an MLC as he is a prominent Lingayat face in north Karnataka.


Shettar returned to the saffron fold in Jan this year. And now, he is pitted against Congress’s Mrinal Hebbalkar, son of women and child welfare minister Laxmi Hebbalkar. Mrinal is contesting for the first time.

Shettar’s real battle, however, is against Laxmi, who has proven her mettle in politics repeatedly over the past few years. In his quest for victory, the former CM is now leveraging his extensive political experience.

Though Shettar wanted to contest from Dharwad or Haveri, the party assigned him Belagavi, where he had to contend with a ‘go back’ campaign from local leaders. But he has managed to normalise the situation gradually.

On the other hand, Laxmi is tirelessly campaigning in the scorching heat to secure her son’s victory in Belagavi. Her brother, Channaraj Hattiholi, is also toiling hard. If Mrinal emerges victorious, it will establish another family with significant political clout in the district.

Congress holds five out of eight assembly segments in the constituency — Belagavi (Rural), Bailhongal, Ramdurg, Savadatti, and Belagavi (North). BJP, on the other hand, holds three assembly segments — Belagavi (South), Gokak and Arabhavi.

Congress’ strategy & BJP’s counter
Laxmi has effectively cranked up the “outsider” narrative against Shettar, who, however, has vowed to make Belagavi his new home and has even taken a house on rent. But that has not stopped Mrinal from appealing to voters to give him a chance to serve. “It’s an issue of Belagavi’s pride,” says Laxmi.

BJP found itself on the back foot when Laxmi played the ‘Panchamasali’ card, claiming that the blood of 19th-century freedom fighter Kittur Rani Channamma flows in her and her son’s veins. This narrative persisted for a week until former minister Murughesh Nirani claimed that Laxmi is not a Panchamasali but a Banajiga and accused her of lying about her caste for votes. He said Laxmi’s husband, Ravindra, is a Banajiga by caste, and Laxmi and her son carry the same.

Laxmi tried to salvage the situation by getting Panchamasali seer Basavajaya Mrityunjaya Swami of Kudalasangama to say, “We consider Laxmi as one of us because she supported the Panchamasali reservation movement”.

Congress is alleging that despite being a CM and district minister of Belagavi twice, Shettar did nothing for the constituency. They claim that instead of bringing new projects to Belagavi, he took away those meant for the city to Hubballi and Dharwad. “Shettar took away even the oxygen cylinders sanctioned to Belagavi during Covid pandemic to Hubballi,” the party claimed. Shettar has rubbished the allegations.

The Jarkiholi factor
BJP MLAs from Gokak and Arabhavi — Ramesh Jarkiholi and Balachandra Jarkiholi — and their brother and Independent MLC Lakhan Jarkiholi, have openly supported Shettar. If Shettar emerges victorious, the brothers will not only claim credit but also fulfil their aim of checkmating Laxmi’s emergence as a leader with influence across the district.

Conversely, Satish Jarkiholi, a minister in the Siddaramaiah-led cabinet, has been entrusted with the responsibility of securing victories for the party in both Chikkodi and Belagavi seats in the district. Satish is not only campaigning across Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency in support of Mrinal, but also taking care of his own daughter’s election campaign in Chikkodi seat.

Caste calculations
The constituency has 5.5 lakh Lingayats, 2.8 lakh SC/STs, 2.7 lakh Marathas, 2.2 lakh Muslims and 1.9 lakh Kuruba (shepherd community) voters. Brahmins account for 60,000 voters and the remaining 3.4 lakh votes are distributed among other communities, including Upparas.

Maratha votes
The Maratha community, with nearly 2.7 lakh voters, has traditionally supported BJP due to its Hindutva ideology, significantly impacting the Belagavi Lok Sabha election. However, things have changed over the past few years and a Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) candidate in the fray resulted in incumbent MP Mangala Angadi winning by a narrow margin of just 5,000 votes in the 2021 by-election. MES has fielded its candidate, Mahadev Patil, this time, too. But Satish Jarkiholi has maintained a strong influence over the Maratha votes during the past few years, and that is likely to benefit Congress in this election.