Belagavi: District In-charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi defended himself, saying that the Hukkeri Rural Electricity Cooperative Society election gained prominence only because he was the district in-charge minister. “Losing here does not mean humiliation for us,” he clarified.
Speaking to reporters in Belagavi, he said, “Victory and defeat are part of elections. Just because we lost, we cannot sit idle. We will definitely win in the future. This election was held to safeguard our workers and build a base. No matter how we put it, a loss is still a loss. But we made every possible effort. Our intention was to instill courage in our workers, and in that, we succeeded.”
He added that despite candidates receiving more votes, many ballots were rejected, leading to their defeat. Around 7,000–8,000 votes were invalidated based on category. “The cooperative sector is new to us, but we still put in great effort. We secured 12,000 votes, while they secured 20,000. However, we could not understand their strategy. Our workers and candidates should have been more active in campaigning and winning over voters,” Jarkiholi said.
On allegations that voters were influenced by “money, vehicles, and liquor,” he said, “Many who voted against us later came and greeted us. The problem was mainly rejected ballots. We didn’t have a base in Hukkeri earlier, but now our workers are active in every village. Contacts have been built, and our base is ready. It’s rare to win in the very first election. Even big leaders have lost their first elections. This was our first attempt.”
On the charge that the Jarkiholi brothers are anti-Lingayat, he replied, “This was only a taluk-level election, not related to the district or state. Opponents succeeded only in Hukkeri. It doesn’t apply to other taluks.”
When asked about personal remarks made by Ramesh Katti against his family, Jarkiholi said there was no need to respond. “We cannot speak the way he does. He should speak in line with his stature, dignity, and personality. He has been an MP and DCC Bank president; his whole family is in politics. He should not talk recklessly,” he said.
On talk that the tussle between Katti and Jolle gave the Jarkiholis an opening, Satish said, “It became inevitable for us to enter to protect our workers. We did not side with anyone in Hukkeri. Our strategy did not fail, but our team failed to deliver properly.”
When asked whether allegations like “Gokak model, drugs mafia, Jarkiholi brothers’ dominance, and property grabbing” hurt their chances, he denied it. “Such propaganda did not cause our defeat. We simply failed to get our votes cast. For the past 20 years, every election has seen negative campaigns against our family. This is nothing new.”
On speculation that Ramesh Katti could emerge as a strong leader of North Karnataka, Jarkiholi retorted, “That will not happen. North Karnataka is very big. One cannot become a leader by just sitting at home. One must toil in the sun, rain, and night. Winning one cooperative election doesn’t make a leader. Giving speeches doesn’t make a leader. Only by doing people’s work can one become a leader. Many have failed to become leaders despite trying.”
When asked if Ramesh Katti would now enter Gokak or Arabhavi, Satish replied, “Who can stop anyone? There are no boundaries. He can come without asking; we can go without asking. It’s open for all.”
On Katti’s comment that Jolle is being ruined by bad company, Satish dismissed it, saying, “Ramesh Katti is a dead horse. His politics and ideas are limited only to Hukkeri taluk. His speeches caught attention for a while, but the entire state has now seen them. He won’t remain in the news for long.”
On accusations that the Jolle factor soured relations between the Jarkiholis and the Kattis, he said, “We have campaigned together with Katti in many elections before. This time, it became inevitable to contest against each other. There is no reason to blame Jolle for this.”
On whether “PA culture” caused their defeat, Satish replied, “It was my PAs who helped me win past elections. In 2018, even without my personal involvement, I won with a small margin. This was just an experiment, not something to blame on PAs.”
On Ramesh Katti’s claim that the DCC Bank would not survive five years under Jarkiholi, Satish countered, “Since Ramesh Katti stepped down as president, deposits have actually increased by about ₹200 crore.”
When asked if the Hukkeri result would affect the DCC Bank elections or district politics, Satish said, “Had this been an MLA, MP, or ZP election, one could speculate. But this was limited only to Hukkeri. So, victory celebrations should remain confined to Hukkeri, not the entire district. If our opponents want to celebrate across the district, let them. Once a year, they come to Bagewadi, Chikkodi, or Belagavi to abuse us. That only keeps us and our workers alert.”
On whether keeping Ramesh Jarkiholi away cost them the election, Satish quipped, “Sometimes when one system fails, another emerges. Right now, Ramesh Jarkiholi’s presence is more necessary than before.”
He further said, “Just because we lost in Hukkeri, it doesn’t mean we’ll lose across the district. This was a local-level election. Even though polls are on the 19th, one can often guess the result by the 10th, when nominations are withdrawn.”
On whether indiscipline among workers led to defeat, Satish denied it. “None of our people threatened anyone. The clashes were related only to the DCC Bank election. No one’s speeches swayed votes. Their vote bank turned out in full; we failed to ensure ours did.”
At the time, MLAs Babasaheb Patil and Asif Seth, along with District Congress President Vinay Navalagatti and others, were also presented
