Date:22/03/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/03/22/stories/2004032202020300.htm

Karnataka - Belgaum

Bland response to Congress's candidate selection in Belgaum

By Our Staff Correspondent

BELGAUM, MARCH 21. The reported selection of Amarsinh Patil and Shyam B. Ghatge as Congress candidates for the Belgaum and Chikkodi Lok Sabha constituencies, respectively, does not seem to have enthused the party leaders and workers in the district.

Sources close to Mr. Patil confirmed that the Congress had fielded him again in Belgaum. However, prominent Congress leaders in the district have not reacted to the selection of Mr. Patil "on record". Most of the 11 members of the dissolved Assembly from the district and their supporters had opposed fielding of Mr. Patil. They submitted a letter to the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, in the last week of February, urging the party leadership against selecting Mr. Patil. The district in-charge Minister, V.S. Koujalgi, is among the signatories to the letter.

But Mr. Patil's opponents failed to present a suitable alternative to him. Though the party offered the ticket to Mr. Koujalgi, he wished to contest for the Arabhani Assembly seat in Gokak taluk. Another Minister from the district, D.B. Inamdar, also declined the offer.

A section of the legislators proposed the name of Balchandra Jarkiholi, who is the brother of Ramesh Jarkiholi, former MLA; and Satish Jarkiholi, MLC and Janata Dal (S) leader. Mr. Balchandra Jarkiholi is the chairman of a Cooperative Sugar Factory in Gokak. But he belongs to the Scheduled Tribes.

Since Chikodi is reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate, fielding of Mr. Balchandra Jarkiholi was ruled out. The Congress could not take the risk of disappointing the Kurubas and the Lingayats, who are present in large numbers in the district.

Party sources said Mr. Ghatge, former Chairman of Karnataka Land Army Corporation Ltd., was reluctant to contest from Chikkodi. But here also, the party could not find a suitable candidate to take on the two-time MP, Ramesh Jigajinagi, who left the Janata Dal (United) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party recently.