Laxmi Hebbalkar, the lone woman Minister in the Siddaramaiah-led Cabinet, is the third woman from Belagavi district to join the State Council of Ministers.
In 1985, Leeladevi R. Prasad, who was elected from Athani, was the first woman leader to do so. In 2019, Shashikala Jolle joined the B.S. Yediyurappa Cabinet. This is apart from Rathnamala Savanur, a Janata Party leader, who was a member of the Union Council of Ministers in 1996.
Ahead of seniors
It was expected that Belagavi, which sent 11 Congress members to the Assembly, would get three Ministers — Satish Jarkiholi, Laxman Savadi, besides Ms. Hebbalkar. But Ms. Hebbalkar made it to the Cabinet earlier than veteran Lingayat leader Mr. Savadi, who joined the Congress after quitting the BJP just before the elections.
Ms. Hebbalkar, who does not come from a family of politicians unlike several other Lingayat leaders of North Karnataka, has come a long way from being a youth Congress activist in Khanapur in Belagavi district to heading a ministry.
Her political detractors say her ascent has been quick. Ramesh Jarkiholi, her one-time-mentor-turned-foe, has maintained that she would not have risen to the top in the party if not for his support. Her loyalty to D.K. Shivakumar, Deputy Chief Minister and KPCC president, seems to have added to her advantage.
However, there is no denying that the postgraduate in political science has made calculated moves in public life, faced strong opposition from the likes of the politically powerful Jarkiholi clan and seen many ups and downs in her political career with a never-say-die attitude.
She is among the few women politicians from northern Karnataka who have a recall value among voters in southern Karnataka, constantly hitting headlines. She has also served as KPCC women’s wing president, Congress spokesperson, and in various district- and divisional-level posts.
Her party loyalty seems unwavering. On two occasions, there was speculation that she would quit the Congress to join the BJP, but that did not happen. Rumours were particularly strong after January 2017, when I-T officials raided the residences of Ms. Hebbalkar and Mr. Ramesh Jarkiholi, among others, in Belagavi district.
Second good news
Incidentally, when Ms. Hebbalkar arrives at the airport at Sambra in Belagavi on Sunday, she will be looking forward to meeting someone special: her granddaughter born on Friday. She is expected to soon head to Bhadravati to meet her daughter-in-law Hitha Mrunal, who happens to be the niece of Congress MLA B.K. Sangameshwar, and her granddaughter.
