BELAGAVI/ATHANI: Thwarted personal ambitions and a lack of unity are apparent among senior leaders of the BJP, due to which they are staying away from campaigning in Chikkodi Lok Sabha constituency. These leaders include former MP Ramesh Katti, former Rajya Sabha member Prabhakar Kore and Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi.
It is an open secret that Katti was interested in contesting from Chikkodi and had approached the BJP central leadership several times. But the BJP high command refused to give him the ticket, and instead declared Annasaheb Jolle as its candidate. Following this, Katti stayed away from campaigning in the constituency.
Prabhakar Kore too is upset as he was not nominated as Rajya Sabha member, and neither was his son Amit Kore given the ticket for Chikkodi. He had many expectations from the BJP high command which remained neglected, sources in the BJP said.
Meanwhile, Ramesh Jarkiholi appears to be more interested in defeating Congress candidate Mrinal Hebbalkar, son of minister Laxmi Hebbalkar in Belagavi LS constituency, rather than campaigning for the BJP candidate in Chikkodi.
Another reason is that the Congress candidate is Priyanka Jarkiholi, daughter of his younger brother Satish Jarkiholi. It appears he is staying away from campaigning as he would have to go against his own niece.
Sources said that BJP’s Hubballi-Dharwad MLA Mahesh Tenginkai took the lead in sorting out the three leaders’ problems and convince them to join the campaign, but failed to do so. Tenginkai, speaking to TNIE, denied there are any problems in the party concerning Kore, Katti and Jarkiholi. He said they had their own personal problems due to which they were not participating in the party campaign, but would soon join the action in Chikkodi.