Election to office-bearers’ posts in a local cooperative bank has exposed cracks in the District Congress Committee.
The district administration’s act of postponing elections to the president and vice-president posts of Primary Land Development (PLD) Bank in Belagavi saw angry reactions from Belagavi Rural MLA and KPCC Women’s Wing leader Laxmi Hebbalkar, who thought it was a conspiracy to see that her followers were not elected.
She sat on a dharna for a few hours outside the tahsildar office on Monday night, before officials convinced her to withdraw her strike.
Though she did not name them, her anger was directed at Municipal Administration Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi and his younger brother Satish Jarkiholi. She alleged that the government officials were dancing to the tune of some political leaders who had no commitment towards the development of the district.
This provoked angry reactions from the Jarkiholi camp. Mr. Satish maintained that the district PLD Bank had not had an election for two decades now and asked her to let it stay non-political.
Mr. Ramesh asked Ms. Hebbalkar to exercise restraint. “MLAs who have won their first poll should not try to cross their limits. Leaders of the district should not politicise elections to the PLD Bank,” he said. He told presspersons in Belagavi on Tuesday he would hold a meeting with officials in Belagavi to find a solution to the issue.
Congress insiders say Ms. Hebbalkar and Mr. Satish have had serious differences in the past too.