BELAGAVI: In Athani, an interesting contest is on the cards between two arch rivals – sitting BJP MLA Mahesh Kumathalli and former deputy chief minister Laxman Savadi, who is contesting as a Congress candidate after switching over from BJP recently.
Gokak BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi is spearheading the campaign for Kumathalli, while Savadi, who has won thrice from the same constituency as a BJP candidate, is working hard to reclaim the seat.
Savadi’s switch to Congress from BJP after he was denied a ticket has made the saffron party go hammer and tongs at him, while former chief minister BS Yediyurappa too has vowed to defeat him. To ensure Kumathalli’s victory, Jarkiholi has been camping here for the last few months. Kumathalli, a popular leader in Athani, also enjoys the support of sections of both BJP and Congress.
In 2013, Savadi defeated Kumathalli by 24,000 votes, but lost the seat to the same rival by a narrow margin in the 2018 polls. After winning, Kumathalli defected to BJP, joining a team of 17 Congress and JDS MLAs who toppled the HD Kumaraswamy-led coalition government to bring BJP to power. He won the bypoll next year.
Among the 2.20 lakh voters in the constituency, about a lakh are Lingayats, while 40,000 are Marathas. The other major sections are 30,000 SCs and 28,000 Muslims. With Lingayats being the key voters, most of the candidates in fray in Athani have been Lingayats for many decades now. Between Savadi and Kumathalli, both of whom also hail from this dominant community, it remains to be seen who eventually will get their support. The contest is now evenly poised.