Belagavi Constituency: BJP's Jagadish Shettar Versus Congress' Mrinal Hebbalkar In Poll FrayBelagavi, one of the oldest and most prominent historical places nestled in the Western Ghats, is to witness yet another Lok Sabha election. The election will be held on May 7 (third phase). The Belagavi Parliament Seat consists of 8 assembly segments: Arabhavi, Gokak, Belagavi Uttar, Belagavi Dakshin, Belagavi Rural, Bailhongal, Saundatti Yellamma, and Ramdurg. Among these, three segments—Arabhavi, Gokak, and Belagavi Dakshin—are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while other five segments are governed by the Congress.
The BJP believes that Belagavi is their safehold, as Suresh Angadi won four consecutive times in the region (from 2004 to 2019). Later, following Suresh Angadi’s demise, his wife, Mangala Angadi, contested and won the seat in 2021. This time, the BJP has fielded the former Chief Minister of Karnataka, Jagadish Shettar, who recently joined the BJP from Congress. The incumbent MP, Mangala Angadi, said she accepts and welcomes the party’s decision to field Jagadish Shettar in her place from Belagavi.
Earlier last month, PM Narendra Modi brutally attacked Rahul Gandhi and Congress in the ‘Vijay Sankalp Yatra’ of the BJP campaign held for Jagadish Shettar. The Prime Minister mocked Rahul Gandhi by calling him “Shehzaada.” He also slammed Congress for underdevelopment during the tenure of the Congress government.
Congress has fielded Mrinal Hebbalkar, the son of Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar. Mrinal, the young candidate, is also new to electoral politics. He stated that politics is not new to him, as he has been working with his mother for years. He also added that his primary goal is to put an end to the lethargy of MPs over the past 20 years. He pointed out that the promises made by the previous MPs have remained unfulfilled; bringing MNC companies and constructing a high-tech swimming pool in Belagavi are some of them. He also insists that people in the constituency want a change.
Mahadev Patil of Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) has also joined the race for the seat in Belagavi. MES has fielded two candidates in Karnataka, and Mahadev Patil is one of them. He stated that both the BJP and Congress are acting against the welfare of Belagavi’s farmers. Besides, he is trying hard to garner the maximum votes for the Marathi-speaking electorate in the region, describing himself as “Belgaumcha sarvasamanya Marathi manus” (an ordinary Marathi speaker of Belgavi).
(This story is part of a Timeline. internship project.)