Friends withdraw from fray, but support rival candidates

Dharwad: Politics makes strange bedfellows, according to an adage. There have been several instances where this has come true.
Tavanappa Astagi, who was an aspirant for the BJP ticket in Dharwad Rural assembly constituency, had tendered his resignation to the chairmanship of Bayaluseeme Development Board and also to the primary membership of BJP after the saffron party denied him the ticket. He had declared that he would contest as an Independent and had filed his nomination.
However, he was seen accompanying former chief minister Jagadish Shettar to Bengaluru when the latter went there to join Congress and rumours were rife that Astagi may also jump ship to Congress.
Meanwhile, social activist Basavaraj Korawar, who had taken up cudgels against former Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, fell out with BJP MLA Amrut Desai.
In consultation with Astagi, he had also filed his papers as an Independent candidate. Both had gone together in the same vehicle in a procession to file their nominations and had declared that one of them would finally remain in the fray and the other would support him.
However, on Monday- the last day to withdraw the nominations- Astagi declared that he was withdrawing his nomination in support of Congress candidate Vinay Kulkarni.
This came after Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee leader Satish Jarkiholi met Astagi at his residence in Dharwad on Saturday and ‘convinced’ him about the need to withdraw and support Congress. Astagi was originally in Congress and was identified with HK Patil and later had shifted to BJP.
On Monday morning, Union minister Pralhad Joshi visited Korawar along with BJP candidate Amrut Desai and ‘managed’ to placate Korawar. After talks, Korawar announced that the misunderstanding between him and Desai had been cleared and that he was withdrawing his nomination and work for Desai’s success.
Now the supporters of Astagi and Korawar who had come together to pose a challenge to the sitting MLA and ex-MLA are in a dilemma as to whom they should support.