Belagavi: Topping the list of the MLAs of the Congress and JD(S) that the BJP aims to lure away to achieve a majority on the floor of the House are several legislators from Belagavi region.
In the BJP's cross-hairs is AICC secretary and Yamakanmardi MLA Satish Jarkiholi with speculation h]igh since Thursday that Jarkiholi has been offered the post of Deputy Chief Minister (DCM) by the BJP in the hope that he would get at least six MLAs to switch sides with him and join the saffron party.
With time running out for them to garner the numbers, BJP leaders are exerting pressure on associates of Jarkiholi in Gokak to expedite the process. Jarkiholi continued to keep his mobile phone switched off since Wednesday and reportedly did not pick up when it started ringing on Thursday.
According to one of his close friends, the former minister has made it clear that he would not fall into the trap of the BJP and would like to remain a loyal leader of the Congress. As secretary of AICC, the party had a lot of expectations from him at a time when it is facing a crisis in the state, the source said.
Sources in Gokak confided however that with the Jarkiholi brothers closely associated with Ballari leaders like B. Sriramulu and Gali Janardhan Reddy, efforts were being made by the BJP top leadership to reach out to Satish Jarkiholi through his younger brother, Balachandra Jarkiholi, who is the BJP legislator from Arabhavi.
