Sahukars rule in Belagavi: Here, families, not parties, matter

BENGALURU: "I want to be a minister, no matter which portfolio I get. People in my district want to see their 'Sahukar' as minister even without a portfolio."
This is what a former Belagavi minister and sitting BJP MLA told media persons during a chat when asked if he was humiliated as he had got a minor ministry in the Yeddyurappa government a few years ago.
From the Patils to the Koujalagis, Kores, Jarkiholis and Kattis, 'Sahukars' (literally rich men or landlords in the countryside) or a handful of rich families have dominated the district.

"This is how it's been in Belagavi, especially Chikkodi Lok Sabha constituency. It's families, not parties, that matter most. Earlier, it was VL Patil whose family was influential. Later came the Koujalagis. Though not immediate relatives, they ruled the district for over a decade. Now, it's the Katti and Jarkiholi families which hold the reins," says Ashok Chandaragi, president, Belagavi District Kannada Organisations Action Committee.
The five Jarkiholi brothers, three of whom are MLAs and two are seeking political entry, are firstgeneration politicians. Ramesh Jarkiholi is minister in-charge of Belagavi district. He replaced his brother Satish, who is also a Congress MLA. Sibling Balachandra is a BJP MLA.
"They are spread in different parties as they want to retain power within the family. No party can afford to overlook their claim for ministership, as they can influence results in 7-8 seats," said a Congress worker.
Similarly, the Kattis dominate in Hukkeri and surrounding constituencies. While Vishwanath Katti was a powerful leader and MLA, his elder son and sixtime MLA Umesh tightened the family grip further. He won his first four elections contesting from as many parties. Younger brother Ramesh was BJP MP from Chikkodi for one term, before he lost to Congress' Prakash Hukkeri in 2014.
Besides loyalty of the people, what defines a family's clout is ownership of cooperative societies and sugar mills. "This means having a solid vote bank of 20,000-25,000 people," says senior journalist Sarjoo Katkar. "These mill owners do not lift sugarcane if they vote for other parties. With EVMs, it is easy to track the voting pattern," said Mahalingappa of Naganur village in Athani taluk.