Belagavi (Karnataka): The ruling BJP and opposition Congress have turned the inauguration of the 43-feet tall Chatrapati Shivaji statue built at Rajahamsagarh in Belagavi Rural constituency into a controversy. Both parties are vying with each other for the credit and eying the Maratha vote bank in the district.
BJP MLA from Gokak constituency of Belagavi district, Ramesh Jarkiholi who lost his cabinet berth following alleged sex CD scandal, has vowed to defeat Lakshmi Hebbalkar, the Congress MLA from Belagavi Rural constituency.
Ramesh Jarkiholi pressed for inauguration of the statue by the district administration. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is inaugurating the Shivaji statue on Thursday (March 2). He will also inaugurate a slew of development programmes.
On the other hand, Lakshmi Hebbalkar has announced that she will get the inauguration programme of the Shivaji statue done once again on March 5. The Congress is planning to make it a big event to reach out to the Maratha vote bank.
Sources explained that there are more than one lakh Maratha voters in Belagavi Rural constituency. Sources said that though it seems that Ramesh Jarkiholi is up in arms against Lakshmi Hebbalkar, his fight is against Congress President D.K. Shivakumar.
There are 18 Assembly seats in Belagavi district and the presence of Maratha voters is high in all constituencies.
BJP insiders said that the recent road show of 10.7 km in Belagavi of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was organised to pass on a message in the region which had seen strife over the language row.
–IANS
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