Karnataka: Jarkiholi brothers find no place in Yediyurappa Cabinet

Bengaluru: You are all quite familiar with the first family of Karnataka politics – the Deve Gowda family.

But there is one more family that is equally influential, and that is the Jarkiholi family. This family rules the roost in the sugar bowl of Karnataka, Belagavi.

In all, there are five brothers. They are:

1.      Ramesh Jarkiholi (disqualified Congress MLA from Gokak)

2.      Satish Jarkiholi (Congress MLA from Yamkanmardi)

3.      Balachandra Jarkiholi (BJP MLA from Arabavi)

4.      Bhimshi Jarkiholi (BJP loyalist)

5.      Lakhan Jarkiholi (Congress loyalist)

 It is very evident and clear that the family are split politically. It is a mix of Congress and BJP loyalism. When Yediyurappa formed his Cabinet, most hoped that Balachandra Jarkiholi would also be inducted, but to their dismay, he has been left out. This has only led to the absence of the Jarkiholi brothers in Karnataka government.

As said, Jarkiholi brothers wield sufficient clout in Belagavi. Yediyurappa has decided to go ahead with Lakshman Savadi, who was defeated from Athani constituency.

Shivanand, a political analyst says, “We don’t know why Savadi and Shashikala Jolle were inducted. But it is true that the Jarkiholis have been sidelined. It will have a tremendous impact on Karnataka politics. This is the first time that the Jarkiholi brothers have not found a place in the cabinet of any government.”

And how will it impact the government?

The political analyst adds, “It will have a telling impact on the government. They are very influential in Belagavi. They were instrumental in felling the HD Kumaraswamy government. Balachandra Jarkiholi is not outspoken. But he can do the damage. When it comes to not having power, the brothers may join hands and that can be bad news for Yediyurappa.”  

The coming days are indeed tough for Yediyurappa. Let’s see how he manages the situation.

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