Kalaburagi: Is senior Congress leader, Mallikarjun Kharge trying to confuse the voters of Kalaburagi where he is contesting from, by ensuring the presence of multiple candidates with the name “Jadhav” who could be easily mistaken for his rival and BJP candidate, Dr Umesh Jadhav?
The BJP seems to think so, pointing out that the presence of so many Jadhavs in the contest in Kalaburagi seems strikingly similar to the many "Sumalathas" in the fray in Mandya , where the late actor/politician, M H Ambareesh's wife, Sumalatha is taking on the JD(S) as an independent.
Besides Dr Umesh Jadhav, three candidates with a similar name ,Vittal Jadhav, Vijay Jadhav and Shankar Jadhav remain in the fray in Kalaburagi after scrutiny of nomination papers by the District Electoral Officer, Venkatesh Kumar. While Mr Vijay Jadhav is contesting on the ticket of the little known Sarva Janatha Party, Mr Shankar Jadhav has been fielded by the Bharatiya Peoples Party candidate. Mr Vittal Jadhav is, however, contesting as an independent.
Senior BJP leader, Jagadish Shettar, alleges that Mr Kharge has instigated the three men to contest the poll to create confusion among the voters. "Having realised that his defeat is imminent, Mr Kharge is doing everything he can to stop it. He is trying the trick of fielding three Jadhavs prompted by a similar tactic adopted by the JD(S) against Ms Sumalatha in Mandya," he charges, adding, “Let there be a hundred more Jadhavs in the fray, it will not work, because the voters know the BJP's symbol and will vote for it in droves. It is unfair of Mr Kharge to resort to such tricks.”
