Karnataka   

Will Jarkiholi be third-time lucky?

Low-key campaign: Ghataprabha, which falls under Arabhavi Assembly constituency, remains free from publicity material.

Arabhavi (Belgaum District): Will two-time MLA Balachandra L. Jarkiholi score a hat-trick? This question is making the rounds, as the Minister is challenged by Vivekrao Patil of the Congress in this prestigious Assembly constituency.

But for the presence of Janata Dal (Secular) candidate and former KAS officer Arvind M. Dalwai, the contest here would have been a straight fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress. The presence of two independent candidates, Uppar Adiveppa Hanumanthappa and Parish Basappa Tamdaddi, is of little consequence.

Mr. Jarkiholi belongs politically dominant family belonging to Valmiki (Naik) community and is brother of sitting Congress MLAs Satish Jarkiholi and Ramesh Jarkiholi. Mr. Balachandra registered a stunning maiden victory in 2004 as Janata Dal (Secular) candidate when he defeated V.S. Koujalgi of the Congress. He got elected for the second time in the May 2008 polls. He was accommodated as Minister in the H.D. Kumaraswamy led Janata Dal (Secular)-BJP coalition government. But, he hopped to BJP bandwagon soon after the Janata Dal (Secular) lost power in the last elections, and became Minister for the second time.

Mr. Vivekrao Patil, son of the former Minister V.L. Patil and brother of Congress leader Amarsinh Patil, belongs to Kuruba community. He had unsuccessfully contested as BJP candidate in May. He joined the Congress about two months ago. Mr. Dalwai is likely to play spoilsport for the Congress as he also o belongs to Kuruba community.

Arabhavi has been a Congress bastion till 1999. The Janata Dal (Secular) snatched the constituency from Congress in 2004 and retained it May 2008.

Mr. Jarkiholi’s contacts place him in good stead, thanks to his support in various forms, including funds for places of worships and other organisations. Caste factor has not been of any consequence for him the last two elections as he belongs a community (Valmiki) which has hardly 4,000 voters in this constituency. Lingayats, according to a rough estimate, account for 54,000 votes, Kurubas 45,000, Uppar 30,000 and Muslims 15,000.

Mr. Patil is regarded as an “outsider” as he belongs to Raibag taluk. His impressive performance in the last elections was because he could bank on the sympathy wave then prevailing in favour of the BJP even as he has good support from his community.

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