CM’s close aide or CM aspirant? The curious case of Satish Jarkiholi

There are indications that Siddaramaiah has favoured Satish Jarkiholi, the Belagavi strongman always identified as close to him, as the natural choice for replacement over other Congress leaders in the event of a leadership change

When Jacqueline Mukangira, the High Commissioner of Rwanda to India, visited Belagavi in September 2024, she toured the Suvarna Soudha, the venue for the winter session of the legislature of Karnataka. She met officials and industrialists at a private hotel during which she invited them to invest in her country.

Satish Jarkiholi, Public Works Minister and district in-charge, who spoke at the meeting, said he had found the government in Rwanda to be ‘very welcoming’. He asked entrepreneurs from northern Karnataka to invest the African country. He also surprised local businessmen, when he said he had made several trips to the African country and had decided to set up a sports school in Rwanda.

Most people in the State, however, do not identify Mr. Jarkiholi as an off-shore investor. Apart from his politics, his fame comes from Manava Bandhutva Vedike (MBV), a liberal-progressive organisation that he founded. Every year, MBV holds a meeting against blind beliefs at a burial ground in Belagavi. Public intellectuals address the crowd and have lunch in the graveyard later. Mr. Jarkiholi spends the night at the cemetery.

Why in news now

Satish Jarkiholi, 61, the KPCC working president and MLA from Yamakanamaradi in Belagavi district, is attracting much attention at the moment because of a series of meetings he has been holding with Congress leaders — from the party’s national president Mallikarjun Kharge to select ministers and local leaders in Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s home town, Mysuru.

These come at a time when the State politics is witnessing a churn over Enforcement Directorate and Lokayukta probes into allotment of sites by Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) to Mr. Siddaramaiah’s wife and demand from the Opposition for his resignation.

Some Congress leaders maintain that Mr. Satish Jarkiholi is the natural choice to replace Mr Siddharamaiah if the incumbent were to be arrested by the ED. There are indications that Mr. Siddaramaiah has favoured Mr. Jarkiholi, always identified as a man close to him, over other Congress leaders in case he has to quit midway. This, even as Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has for long been waiting in the wings and sees himself as natural choice in case of a leadership change. All Congress leaders, however, have stoutly denied plan or possibility of change in leadership.

Followers of Mr. Jarkiholi claim that the Valmiki Bedar Nayaka community leader has the support of around 70 MLAs. “He not only enjoys the support of legislators from the AHINDA (minorities, backward classes and SC/ST) but also those from dominant castes like the Lingayats and Vokkaligas,” said an MLA who has served as a minister in the past.

Humble beginnings

Satish Jarkiholi was born into a poor, landless family in Gokak. His father, Laxman Jarkiholi, who worked as a farm labourer and toddy tapper and seller, had seven children from two marriages. The senior Jarkiholi later went on to become an excise contractor.

Ramesh Jarkiholi, the eldest brother, lost the first Assembly election that he fought as an independent in 1994, but won the next. He was with the Congress till 2019, when he resigned to join the BJP along with 20 others. While Mr. Satish Jarkiholi entered the Legislative Council in 1998 as a JD(S) member, he later switched to the Congress along with Mr. Siddaramaiah.

The Jarkiholi clan has built a formidable economic and political empire. There are six sugar factories among the five brothers — Ramesh, Satish, Balachandra, Bimashi and Lakhan. They have also invested in mining, cement, real estate and construction, and other sectors. While they remain divided between parties, they have common business interests.

In his affidavit before the Election Commission of India, Mr. Satish Jarkiholi has declared that he has studied up to Class 12. He has declared assets of ₹175 crore and liabilities of ₹12 crore. His daughter, Priyanka Jarkiholi, is the MP from Chikkodi.

Controversial past

However, Mr. Satish Jarkiholi comes with the baggage of some forgettable history. He, along with his father Laxman Jarkiholi, younger brother Bhimshi Jarkiholi and 24 others, was named in a murder case in 1989 (Laxman Jarkiholi vs State of Karnataka 1989). Three persons, including an excise inspector, were allegedly chased, abducted, and shot dead.

Investigators recovered 10 firearms from the accused. Most of the accused, including the three members of the Jarkiholi family, were jailed. Officers of the Sankeshwar police station claimed that it was the first case in Karnataka where an AK-47 gun was used for a serious offence.

However, all 27 accused were later acquitted. Mr. Satish Jarkiholi’s lawyers confirmed to The Hindu that a petition for ‘right to forget’ has not been filed by him or other members of his family till now.

Published - October 09, 2024 12:56 pm IST