Belagavi: While several political heavyweights have bitten the dust in Belagavi these polls, three women from the district have made it to Vidhana Soudha.
While Laxmi Hebbalkar of the Congress defeated her nearest rivals, Manohar Kinekar of the MES and sitting MLA, Sanjay Patil of the BJP in Belagavi Rural, Dr Anjali Nimbalkar of the Congress ousted sitting MLA, Aravind Patil of the MES in Khanapur. Also, sitting MLA, Shashikala Jolle of the BJP won against three-time MLA, Kakasaheb Patil of the Congress in Nipani.
A marathon campaign by both Ms Hebbalkar and Ms Nimbalkar appears to have paid off as they are now on their way to the state assembly for the first time.
Ms Hebbalkar had lost the previous election against Mr Patil by a narrow margin of 2,500 votes, but managed to defeat him by around 22,000 votes this time.
It is alleged that she distributed around 30,000 pressure cookers besides thousands of gas stoves, iron boxes and sarees, besides money among voters over the last few months to help her win from the constituency.
Unlike her, the wife of senior IPS officer, Hemant Nimbalkar, Dr Anjali Nimbalkar squeezed through at the last minute by a margin of about 6,000 votes in Khanapur.
Ms Shashikala Jolle attributes her victory to the works she has done in her constituency as MLA over the last five years and the welfare programmes carried out by her husband and family in Chikkodi.
