Sack Jarkiholi for Congress loss in Belagavi: Former KPCC member Shankar Munavalli
A section of party leaders have appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to drop him from the cabinet.
Belagavi: In the wake of the Congress party’s loss of the Belgavi seat in the recent MLC elections to rebel candidate Vivekrao Patil - who was backed by Congress leaders like Small Scale Industries Minister Satish Jarkiholi - a section of party leaders have appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to drop him from the cabinet.
“Mr Jarkiholi who failed to take all leaders into confidence as a minister in-charge of Belagavi region and never tried to stop them from supporting the rebel should be held responsible for the defeat and sacked from the cabinet,” said Congress leader and former KPCC member Shankar Munavalli.
At a press conference in Belagavi, Mr Munavalli and his supporters questioned Satish Jarkiholi’s silence as his brother Ramesh, Gokak MLA, openly campaigned for Patil.
“The party should take disciplinary against leaders who indulge in anti-party activities during crucial elections like this one,” he said. “Many top party leaders violated the party’s guidelines in this election because Satish Jarkiholi is weak and cannot enforce discipline,” he added.
Urging the party leadership to bring the winning candidate back into the Congress by offering him a cabinet minister's post, and boost numbers in the upper house, he said, “we must consider the contributions of Patil's family to the party.” He also called for the induction of MLAs D B Inamdar and Ashok Pattan into the cabinet, and appointing MP Prakash Hukkeri as KPCC president.
Major setback for JD(S)
The JD(S) which once held sway here is all but finished in Belagavi. With state JDS vice-president Ashok Pujari who narrowly lost the last assembly election in Gokak and the only ray of hope for the Deve Gowda led outfit in Belagavi all set to join the BJP on January 5 in the presence of BJP top brass former CMs B.S. Yeddyurappa and Jagadish Shettar, there is little hope of regaining lost ground.
The JD(S) had suffered a massive jolt in Belagavi region with exit of MLAs Balachandra Jarkiholi and Umesh Katti a few years ago. Although the party did not win any seats in the last few years, its candidates made their presence felt. The exit of Ashok Pujari and his supporters however ends the JD(S) run.
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