Five Belagavi BJP MLAs are in race for cabinet berth

Belagavi: With the coalition government having collapsed and BJP all set to stake claim to form the government, many senior BJP MLAs in Belagavi have started lobbying for cabinet berths.
According to party sources, there are five MLAs aspiring for ministerial berths. Five-time MLA and former minister Balachandra Jarkiholi, who supported Congress Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi in leading the rebels, is also among the ministerial aspirants.
Ramesh Jarkiholi was also said to be a cabinet aspirant until Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar disqualified him from contesting elections until 2013.
Senior politician and eight-time MLA Umesh Katti is said to be in the close circles around BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa and is confident of getting a ministerial berth. Katti has been upset with the party after his brother Ramesh Katti was denied a ticket in the Lok Sabha elections. It is being said that the party will not dare to keep Umesh out of the cabinet this time.
Belagavi South MLA Abhay Patil, Nippani MLA Shashikala Jolle and Savadatti MLA Anand Mamani are also in the cabinet race. Three-time MLA Patil is lobbying for a post under the Jain quota, while two-time Nippani MLA Jolle wants a berth under the women’s quota.
Yatnal and Shahapur may also stake their claim
Vijayapura BJP MLAs Basanagouda Patil (Yatnal), A S Patil (Nadahalli), Somanagouda Patil (Sasanur) and MLC Arun Shahapur are also in the cabinet race. Yatnal, the MLA of Devar Hipparagai, was a minister in the Vajpayee government. He had quit BJP and joined JD(S) on two occasions.
Nadahalli was a Congress MLA from Devar Hipparagi before switching over to BJP ahead of the previous assembly poll and won from Muddebihal. Shahapur is a long-standing ABVP leader who was elected to the council under the teachers’ constituency.