BELAGAVI: Despite hectic lobbying for tickets for the upcoming elections to two Legislative Council seats from Belagavi, the Congress has decided to field only one candidate. A top source from the BJP said they too will field a single candidate. During the last poll, too, Congress and BJP had fielded one candidate each and both parties had extended support to independents for the other seat.
Eventually, independent candidate Vivekrao Patil emerged victorious, while the BJP’s Mahantesh Kavatgimath won the other seat. “In most of the elections held to the five dual-member local bodies constituencies in the state so far, rarely has BJP or Congress won both seats whenever they fielded two candidates. That is why both of them may be keen on fielding one candidate each,” said Mahantesh M Kavatagimath.
Given his track record in the MLC polls, the BJP is certain to field Kavatgimath as its only candidate from Belagavi, sources said. Election to the dual-member Belagavi local bodies constituency is scheduled to be held after two months and several popular candidates from Congress are exerting pressure on the party leadership for the ticket.
“The competition will be between leaders from our own party (Congress) if two candidates are fielded. That is why we will field only one candidate. Already, five aspirants have applied,” said KPCC working president Satish Jarkiholi said. Congress had failed to win a single MLC seat in Belagavi last time due to anti-party activities by some of its leaders. Satish said, “The team which worked against us in the last election has moved out of Congress.”
‘Will continue to contest LS polls’
Satish said he will continue to be the party candidate for the Lok Sabha election from Belagavi until his party wins the seat. BJP has won all the last four Lok Sabha elections from Belagavi with the late Suresh Angadi winning thrice and his wife Mangala Angadi emerging victorious in the last election.
“It is up to the people of Yamakanamaradi (which Jarkiholi represents in the Assembly) to decide whether they want my children, Rahul or Priyanka, to contest the next Assembly election from Yamakanamardi,” he added.