Over a dozen MLAs are with us; anything can happen in 15 days: Cong MLA Satish Jarkiholi

Bengaluru, Sept 11: Amidst mounting rumours of Bharatiya Janata Party’s relentless efforts to purchase MLAs from Karnataka’s ruling parties, senior Congress leader and MLA Satish Jarkiholi, dropped a fresh bomb on Tuesday and warned that anything can happen in state politics in the next fortnight.

“Anything can happen in politics. We have urged the party leaders to resolve certain issues related to Belagavi district. I hope the high command will take the issues seriously and resolve them at the earliest,” Satish told a private news channel.

The Jarkiholi brothers of Belagavi are said to be upset with the party for not heeding to their demands, which includes giving state Congress president’s post to Satish and preventing Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar from interfering in Belagavi district politics. The brothers are learnt to have threatened to quit the party if their demands are not fulfilled.

Satish went on to claim that more than 12 party MLAs are with his brother and Municipalities Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi. “Many MLAs are in touch with Ramesh. They are together for the past few weeks,” Satish said, but denied reports that the BJP has been wooing him and his brother.

Asked whether the problem is because of Shivakumar, he said there has been a problem in the Belagavi Congress ever since the formation of the coalition government. Problems are with respect to the transfer of certain officials and nominations to some government-controlled agencies.

The Jarkiholi brothers recently faced a setback in the elections to Belagavi Primary Land Development Bank. Their bete noire and party MLA Lakshmi Hebbalkar, who has the backing of Shivakumar and some Lingayat leaders in the district, emerged victories in the elections.

Meanwhile, Ramesh told reporters that all issues have been sorted out within the party and that there is no threat to the government.