Bagalkot bypoll win crucial to bolster Congress: Satish Jarakiholi

Belagavi: Public works minister Satish Jarakiholi on Thursday expressed confidence that Congress candidate Umesh Meti would record a decisive win in the Bagalkot Assembly byelection, saying the contest was vital to reinforcing the party's position in Karnataka. Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan, Jarakiholi said the party was certain of victory, though predicting the margin would be premature. The bypoll was necessitated by the death of former minister HY Meti, and reclaiming the seat was strategically important for the Congress, he said. He stressed that both Bagalkot and Davanagere were crucial, warning that losing either would allow the BJP to politically corner the Congress for the next two years. On demands for minority representation in Davanagere, he said the community deserved consideration, but the party opted to field a member of the late Shamanur Shivashankarappa's family. He added that minister SS Mallikarjun would safeguard minority interests. Jarakiholi dismissed talk of KPCC leadership change as the high command's prerogative and termed expelled BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal's campaign an internal BJP issue. He accused the Centre of delaying funds under schemes like MGNREGA and Jal Jeevan Mission, affecting rural works, and reiterated state govt's commitment to internal reservation.