By The Hindu Bureau

Copyright thehindu

The self-respect panel led by Ramesh Katti and former minister A. B. Patil won all the 15 seats in the elections to the Rural Electric Co-operative Society Limited in Hukkeri in Belagavi district of Karnataka on September 29. The Katti family has been heading the society since the 1980s.

This was the first election in 25 years, as there was no contest in all the earlier five polls.

The elections on September 28 were a bitterly-fought contest between one panel led by the Katti family and another by Anna Saheb Jolle in alliance with the Jarkiholi brothers.

There were 32 candidates for the posts of 15 directors. Out of 60,046 voters, 41,050 voters exercised their franchise. The results were declared early morning on September 29.

The election campaign had breached party boundaries and was focused on personalities. While the Jarkiholi brothers, who are spread across the BJP and the Congress, campaigned for their candidates, Mr. Patil and BJP MLA Nikhil Katti, who is the nephew of Ramesh Katti, joined the campaign on the other side.

Expelled BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal and Rajya Sabha member Iranna Kadadi joined the campaign during the release of a book on former minister Umesh Katti in Hukkeri.

However, Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, Congress MLA Laxman Savadi, and some other senior leaders of both the parties in Belagavi district, maintained a distance from the campaign.

As the campaign progressed, the poll centred around a few key issues. The Jarkiholi brothers accused the Katti family of negligence, maladministration and irregularities in the society.

Ramesh Katti harped on outsiders trying to interfere in Hukkeri taluk.

Some directors also said that the polls were turning out to be a Lingayat versus non-Lingayat battleground.

Satish Jarkiholi claimed their family hails from Jarkiholi village in Hukkeri taluk, but are now settled in Gokak. Balachandra Jarkiholi denied the caste discrimination angle, saying they had maintained cordial relations with Lingayats all along and that Mr. Jolle, a prominent member of their panel, is a Lingayat leader in his own right.

“The voters of Hukkeri have decided that institutions of our taluk should stay with insiders, and that outsiders should not be entertained,” Ramesh Katti told reporters after the announcement of the results.

He alleged that the Jolle-Jarkiholi alliance tried to intimidate his voters and directors of the society, but had failed miserably. “They should realise that strong-arm tactics and money does not work all the time,” he said.

He also said that he would expand his personal political jurisdiction. “I will travel across the district and also northern Karnataka to build a base of followers. I will visit Nippani, Gokak, Arabavi, and Yamakanamaradi, and groom young leaders to take on the existing MLAs,” he said.

Shashikala Jolle, former minister and wife of Anna Saheb Jolle, represents the Nippani Assembly constituency. Gokak seats is held by Ramesh Jarkiholi, Arabavi by Balachandra Jarkiholi and Yamakanamaradi by Satish Jarkiholi.

To a question on the differences between him and his party colleague Anna Saheb Jolle, Ramesh Katti said it was political and not personal. “However, I have a piece of advice for him. He should be careful about who he befriends. It is possible that your new friends can mislead you, especially if they have come to you looking for your money and not your personality,” he said.

To a query, Ramesh Katti said he is a disciplined soldier of the BJP and would obey instructions of the party high command.

Differences between the Jolles and Kattis began after the recent Lok Sabha elections in which Anna Saheb Jolle lost to Priyanka Jarkiholi, daughter of PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi. Anna Saheb Jolle suspects Ramesh Katti of colluding with the Congress candidate (Priyanka Jarkiholi), and betraying him.

He allied with Balachandra Jarkiholi and engineered a defection in the District Central Co-operative Bank that unseated Ramesh Katti.

The DCC bank polls are scheduled for October 16.

Of the three power cooperative agencies registered in Karnataka, the Hukkeri society is the only one that is functional. The society was registered in 1969 under the Karnataka Cooperative Societies Act. It has a share capital of ₹8.66 crore and a working capital of ₹122.08 crore.

It functions as as an alternative to HESCOM in power distribution in Hukkeri taluk. It has supplied electricity to around 125 villages and 20 hamlets in Hukkeri taluk.