Karnataka - Belgaum   

Will cane growers’ woes affect poll prospects?

Veeranna Shivalingappa Koujalgi

Balachandra Laxmanrao Jarkiholi

Belgaum: Arabhavi, one of the two Assembly segments in Gokak taluk, is all set to witness a fierce battle between seasoned politician and the former president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Veeranna Shivalingappa Koujalgi and the young and energetic former Minister Balachandra Laxmanrao Jarkiholi of the Janata Dal (Secular). The former is keen on avenging his defeat at the hands of the latter in the 2004 Assembly elections.

All development issues appear to have taken a back seat although the constituency faces problems such as poor road connectivity. One of the major issues faced by the electorate, particularly sugarcane growers, is the “non-payment” of bills for produce supplied to the Ghataprabha Sahakara Sakkare Karkhane (GSSK). Mr. Jarkiholi is chairman of the factory for the second term.

Mr. Koujalgi, who represented the constituency six times, too did very little to bring about development in the constituency. He hopes to see a change in the mindset of the people, particularly cane growers.

The growers are waiting to get their bills cleared for sugarcane supplied to the GSSK for the crushing years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Mr. Jarkiholi’s elder brother and the former Minister Satish Jarkiholi has said that GSSK’s outstanding dues amount to Rs. 158.189 crore, which includes Rs. 23-crore dues to be paid to the farmers for the current crushing season (2007-08), and Rs. 60 lakh towards salary of two months for the employees.

The outstanding dues to be paid to Belgaum District Central Co-operative Bank amounted to Rs. 35.74 crore, and to other banks Rs. 67.41, he said.

Mr. Koujalgi is keen to cash on the issue.

But Mr. Jarkiholi is confident of winning the elections this time too because of the influence his family wields. Also, despite the issue of cane dues and the “financial crisis” faced by the GSSK, he had swept the elections to its Board of Directors two months ago.

However, he is aware of the growing concerns of the farmers and caste equations. Mr. Jarkiholi belongs to the Scheduled Tribe (Nayak) community, while Mr. Koujalgi is an Lingayat.

The Arabhavi segment came into existence in the early 1960s. Till then, it was part of the Gokak-II segment. Between 1967 and 2004, the constituency went to polls eight times.

Mr. Koujalgi made an entry into the Assembly by winning the 1972 elections. He has not looked back after that. He registered a hat trick in the 1983 polls, but lost to R.M. Patil of the Janata Party in 1985. But, he won again in 1989 and registered a second hat trick in 1999.

But Mr. Koujalgi, who was in the thick of the controversy over a “bribery” case, lost to Mr. Jarkiholi in the 2004 polls, by a huge margin.The BJP is facing rebellion from Suresh Lathur after the party replaced him with Vivek Patil, son of the former minister V.L. Patil and brother of the former Congress MP Amarsinh Patil.

Mr. Lathur joined the BSP and filed his nomination papers as the party’s official candidate.

Mr. Patil is banking on the votes of the Kuruba community to which he belongs, and the element of sympathy for the BJP in general.

People hold him responsible for the closing down of the Raybag Sahakara Sakkare Karkhane.

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