Satish Jarkiholi campaigns in Gokak, trains guns on bro Ramesh Jarkiholi

HUBBALLI: Congress leader, Satish Jarkiholi, who was campaigning for the December 5 bypolls here on Saturday, admitted that he was not so much looking forward to defeating the BJP in Gokak as his brother, and disqualified legislator, Ramesh Jarkiholi.

Addressing a party rally in the constituency, he urged the people to elect his younger brother and Congress candidate, Lakhan, who was accessible to the poor unlike Ramesh, who, he alleged did not attend a single KDP meeting to discuss the development of his constituency when he represented it.

“Ramesh claims he resigned for the sake of development. But I don’t know whose development he is talking about. The road passing through his home in Gokak has not been completed in five years and he has still contested the last few elections on this plank,” he deplored.

Calling Mr Ramesh Jarkiholi the “most irresponsible politician” he had ever come across in his political career, the former minister said he had been dealing with insults from his brother for the last 20 years.

Also lambasting Mr Ramesh Jarkiholi’s brother in-laws, he claimed they were extremely corrupt. Gokak is seeing an interesting contest these bypolls with the Jarkiholi brothers, Ramesh and Lakhan pitted against each other on BJP and Congress tickets respectively and a third brother, Satish campaigning for the latter.

Mr Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was disqualified by the former Speaker for resigning in July along with 16 other legislators to bring down the coalition government, is hoping to regain his Gokak seat by being re-elected from it in the bypoll.