Will BJP rock Jarkiholi boat?

Belagavi: With poll forecasts showing a close finish in most constituencies of Mumbai-Karnataka, candidates from some politically influential families , which have enjoyed power here for decades, are afraid their time may be up.

For the three Jarkiholi brothers of Gokak, winning the last four elections was almost a cakewalk, but they are facing the heat these elections. 

Although the family has not lost even one election, whether to the local bodies or state assembly in the last two decades in their stronghold of Gokak, over the last few years, it  has received brickbats for neglecting the constituency and doing little to provide even the basic infrastructure in several villages. “People of the constituency are unhappy with Ramesh as he preferred to stay either in Bengaluru or Belagavi. Many villages in the constituency still do not have basic infrastructure like roads and buses. Despite being a Minister in the cabinet, Ramesh could not use his office to improve  Gokak,'' rues a prominent local leader, Munaf Bagwan.

Also, the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gokak in  recent years has put the brakes on the Jarkiholis’ political ambitions.  After losing narrowly in the last two elections against Mr Ramesh Jarkiholi of the Congress in Gokak, Mr Ashok Pujari of the Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to win this time, going by the response to his campaign. 

The  Bharatiya Janata Party’s high-voltage campaign headed by its national president Amit Shah and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath in Gokak has reportedly been able to put Mr Pujari on a strong footing as well. 

He is expected to bag most of the  65,000 Lingayat votes and a sizeable share of the 60,000 votes of Muslims and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes too. 

But his victory could spell the virtual political downfall of the Jarkiholis in their fiefdom.