Preparations for cooperative bank polls gain momentum in Belagavi

Preparations for the Belagavi District Central Cooperative (BDCC) Bank elections have gathered momentum. Leaders of different groups are organising meetings of their followers in rural areas of the district.

The former chairman of BDCC Bank Ramesh Katti, the Jarkiholi brothers and groups owing allegiance to the former MP Annasaheb Jolle and the former Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi have already held meetings with their supporters.

At a meeting in Hukkeri, Mr. Katti vowed not to let outsiders play politics in Hukkeri taluk. He also told his supporters that he will wrest power from those institutions that have been taken away from the Katti clan.

In November last year, a panel led by Mr. Jolle and Balachandra Jarkiholi passed a no confidence motion against him and appointed Appasaheb Kulagude as BDCC Bank president.

Mr. Kulagude is a Congress leader, believed to be a follower of Minister Satish Jarkiholi.

A few months later, Mr. Katti’s panel was ousted from power at the Hukkeri taluk power cooperative society. Mr. Katti, a BJP leader, is supposedly angry at his fellow party leaders Mr. Jolle and Balachandra Jarkiholi ganging up against him.

On Saturday last, some Lingayat leaders held a meeting in Kanheri Math near Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Leaders of Lingayat and Veerashaiva associations and some legislators attended the meeting, according to sources.

They are believed to have arrived at the conclusion to support Lingayat candidates in the BDCC Bank elections, irrespective of party affiliations. These leaders reportedly believe that the five Jarkiholi brothers and their children have forgotten their party differences to come together for power.

Meanwhile, Satish Jarkiholi held meetings in several taluks. At a meeting in Saundatti, he announced that Congress MLA Vishwas Vaidya will be a candidate for the post of BDCC Bank director and sought support for him. He denied that he is trying to field his son Rahul Jarkiholi for the bank director’s post.

Satish Jarkiholi told reporters in Belagavi on Sunday that he was not bothered by meetings being held against him or his family. “Some leaders have been holding such meetings against our family for two decades now. Their efforts will not succeed,” he said.

To a query, he said that he will respond to Mr. Katti at the appropriate time. He only said that his team remains united.