Ramesh L. Jarkiholi, Minister for Small-Scale Industries, has got into election mode around two years ahead of the next elections to the State Legislative Assembly by declaring his political agenda – to demolish the Bharatiya Janata Party’s fortress “Belagavi district”.
Replying to a felicitation at the District Congress (Rural) office here on Wednesday, he said it was his aim to win for the Congress at least 12 of the 18 Assembly constituencies in the district. He also announced that he would organise a massive party workers’ convention to take fresh stock of problems and difficulties of party workers in the city soon. “Soon after the swearing-in ceremony at Bengaluru, I have promised to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah 12 Assembly seats to the party in the next elections.”
He said the district had been a Congress fortress for long but slipped into the hands of BJP due to dearth of strong leaders. It was high time all the leaders, heads of block, district and city/town units of the party came out of groupism and start working to reorganise the party. “I know the problems and difficulties of the workers at the grassroot level as I served the party as ‘booth agent’ in my initial days in the Congress.”
He stressed that becoming a Minister was not the end in itself, but it would help him to redress the grievances of the party workers and boost development works.
Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress president Laxmi R. Hebbalkar said the district Congress has now infused fresh vigour among the large number of workers. She called upon workers to work for the success of the party in the next Assembly elections.
Belagavi Zilla Panchayat president Asha Ihole, vice-president Arun Katambale, former Minister Veerkumar Patil, Kakasaheb Patil, ex-MLA, and District Congress (Rural) president Vinay Navalgatti were present. Earlier, Mr. Jarkiholi inspected the progress of the construction of the district Congress office building in the city.
Of the 18 Assembly pockets spread of three Parliamentary constituencies in the district, Congress has only six MLAs and one MP.
