Former MP Amarsinh Patil has finally managed to get Congress ticket for the Belgaum Lok Sabha constituency despite opposition from members in his own party. He will take on BJP’s sitting MP Suresh Angadi.
Former minister and Lingayat leader A B Patil was a strong contender for the Congress ticket and there are indications that he could switch over to JD(S) and contest as its candidate. If that happens, Belgaum will see a keen contest.
There had been demand from some quarters that Angadi should not be given BJP ticket this time, though chief minister B S Yaddyurappa has asserted that there was no question of changing the party’s candidate. Congress nominee and former MP Amarsinh Patil belongs to Kuruba community. To accommodate him, the Congress changed its Koppal candidate. Sitting MP Virupakshappa who also belongs to Kuruba community has been denied ticket and he is replaced by Basavaraj Rayaraddi.
In Belgaum Amarsinh faces opposition from within his own party. Gokak MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi has minced no words while opposing Amarsinh’s candidature. Laxmi Hebbalkar was another aspirant.
Congress which held the fort in Belgaum from 1957 to 1996 without break lost it in 1996 when Shivanand Koujalagi of Janata Dal defeated BJP’s Babagouda Patil and Congress nominee Prabhakar Kore.
B N Datar (1957,1962), H V Koujalagi (1963 by-election), N M Nabisab (1967), A K Kotrashetty (1971,1977), S B Sidnal (1980,1984,1989, 1991) had ensured that the Congress dominated the constituency. Farmers’ leader Babagouda Patil who was unsuccessful in 1991 and 1996 won the seat in 1998 as BJP nominee only to lose in 1999 to Amarsinh Patil of Congress. Babagouda has now joined Congress. Suresh Angadi (BJP) won the seat in 2004 against Amarsinh Patil.
The constituency drew the attention of entire nation during 1996 elections with a record 455 candidates entering the fray.
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Post-delimitation the constituency has Belgaum Rural, Belgaum North and Belgaum South in place of Uchagaon, Bangalore City and Bagewadi. The other assembly segments in the constituency are Arabhavi, Gokak, Ramadurga, Bailhongal and Soundatti.
Congress has three MLAs while BJP has five in the constituency. Suresh Angadi is in a fix now with the Maharastra Ekikarana Samiti (MES) pressing him to hoist the Bhagwa flag atop the Belgaum Municipal Corporation building and making it a pre-condition to support him in the election.
Angadi has incurred the wrath of Pro-Kannada organisations too.
The Congress wants to take advantage of the situation and wrest the seat from the BJP. Supporters of A B Patil argue that he belongs to Panchamasali Lingayat community who constitute a large chunk of electorate. The Panchamasalis among Lingayats feel that the Banajiga Lingayats have had a more than fair share as most Lingayat MLAs from the district are Banajigas. “A B Patil has influence not only in Belgaum but also in Bagalkot. If he is given ticket it will help the Congress candidate in the neighbouring constituencies also” said a supporter.