Nalinkumar calls on Lakhan to set political circles in Belagavi aflutter

Belagavi: The meeting between Karnataka BJP president and Dakshina Kannada MP Nalinkumar Kateel with Independent MLC Lakhan Jarkiholi has further fuelled the flames of resentment brewing in the Belagavi district unit of the party. The Belagavi unit of the party is currently grappling with division, and the meeting between Nalinkumar and Lakhan may further sharpen the fault lines.
Nalinkumar met Lakhan at Balachandra Jarkiholi’s house in Gokak on Tuesday, with Gokak MLA and former minister Ramesh Jarkiholi in attendance. Nalinkumar appealed to Lakhan to support the BJP in the upcoming election to the Northwest Teachers’ and Graduates’ seats in the legislative council.
The Karnataka BJP president’s overture to Lakhan has reportedly not gone down well with minister Umesh Katti, who has reportedly been involved in an intra-party struggle with the Jarkiholis in Belagavi. Not more than a few days ago, Katti had made it plain that the BJP did not need Lakhan’s support in the council elections. Pursuant to his remarks, the Jarkiholi brothers and their supporters reportedly reduced their role in the BJP’s campaign.
Accompanied by MLCs Keshav Prasad and Prathap Simha Nayak, Nalinkumar reportedly called on Lakhan to undo the damage that Katti’s remarks may have caused. In December, Lakhan had contested the council elections as a BJP rebel. Both Ramesh and Balachandra worked steadfastly to ensure his victory, which came at the cost of the BJP candidate, Mahantesh Kavatagimath.
In the wake of the council elections, and the reversal for the BJP, the dynamics in the saffron party’s Belagavi unit stood altered. Lingayat leaders in the border district have united under Katti to check the growing influence of the Jarkiholi brothers in Belagavi, and across the state.
However, Nalinkumar’s meeting with Lakhan is likely to douse the fires of division in the Belagavi unit of the party. The signal from the party leadership is clear: Victory of the party is paramount. Whether the Dakshina Kannada MP has been successful in using the hustings to unite a divided house will become clear only on June 15, when the outcome of the council elections will be known.