Hubbali: The Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which is trying hard to keep the border issue with Maharashtra alive in the Belagavi area, is likely to play spoilsport to the fortunes of BJP in four assembly seats in the district.
These areas were BJP bastions and the saffron party is puffing and panting in this belt. MES is a political party which has been campaigning for a merger of Marathi-speaking areas in the Karnataka-Maharashtra border region with Maharashtra.
It may be noted that Belagavi was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency and constitutes 40 per cent of Marathi-speaking people.
The MES has fielded Ramakant Konduskar from Belagavi (South), and he is up against BJP’s three-term MLA, Abhay Patil. Konduskar, who is also the President of Sri Ram Sena Hindustan, could attract a large number of BJP votes.
The party has fielded RM Chougale from Belagavi (Rural) and is expected to give a tough fight to Laxmi Hebbalkar of the Congress party and BJP’s Nagesh Mannolkar. Mannolkar was expecting to wrest the seat this time from Laxmi but it is tough with the presence of Chougale.
Advocate Amar Yallurkar is contesting on MES ticket from Belagavi (North) and Muralidhar Patil, a highly influential local businessman, is its candidate from the Khanapur constituency. The party is focusing on three seats, Belagavi (South), Belagavi (Rural) and Khanapur.
The BJP failed to renominate Anil Benake who is a Maratha leader from Belagavi (North) and this has led the Maratha-speaking people to unite under the banner of MES. This is likely to impact the BJP’s prospects in all four seats.
In Belagavi (North), the BJP nominated Ravi Patil, a Panchamasali Lingayat in place of Anil Benake and the MES candidate Amar Yallurkar is a Maratha. The campaign of Yallurkar is focused against the BJP and has been exhorting the public that voting for BJP would mean ‘waste of vote’.
He is expected to cut into the pro-Hindutva vote bank and the constituency. Congress candidate Asif (Raju) Sait is the brother of former MLA, Firose Sait. He is the only Muslim fielded by the Congress in Belagavi district. With the Hindutva vote being divided between Yallurkar and Ravi Patil, Asif Sait is expecting a surprise win banking on Muslim support.
In Belagavi South, Ramakant Konduskar is giving a tough fight to the BJP leader Amar Patil who is a three-term MLA from the constituency. Coupled with the Maratha sentiments, Konduskar is projecting his tough Hindutva postures as he was the former lieutenant of Sri Ram Sena founder Pramod Muthalik and has now founded his own Sri Ram Sena Hindustan.
With veteran MES leader Raju Chougale taking on Laxmi Hebbalkar who is the sitting MLA from Congress, BJP candidate Nagesh Manolkar is considered not to be a big challenger in the constituency. With both Manolakar and Choughale coming from the Maratha community, Laxmi has a slight edge.
Muralidhar Patil, the MES candidate from Khanapur, is giving a tough fight to the BJP and the Congress candidates. While Anjali Nimbalkar is the Congress candidate, the BJP is represented by Vittal Halagekar and Naseer Bhagwan is the JD(S) candidate. Incidentally, only Naseer is a Muslim while the other three are Maratha Hindus.
In the Nippani seat represented by Shashikala Jolle of the reputed Jolle family and Minister in the Bommai cabinet is facing a triangular fight with former MLA and senior Congress leader Kakasaheb Patil and Uttam Patil – a cooperative leader who has received the support of both NCP and MES. Shashikala Jolle may win the seat given the clout of the family but with a slender margin.
