Ramesh Jarkiholi, rebel Karnataka Congress MLA, to quit party and join BJP

Ramesh Jarkiholi, the rebel Congress MLA from Karnataka’s Gokak in the Belagavi district, on Thursday said that he will tender his resignation as an MLA. “I will contest from Yemkanmardi seat in next Assembly elections on a BJP ticket,” Ramesh Jarkiholi said. Ramesh had been already campaigninng for the BJP candidate in Chikkodi for the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections. This might also jeopardise the Congress-JDS in the state as the coalition government could lose its majority in the state Assembly.

He also suggested that a few other Congress MLAs might also resign and said discussions on this are going on. Yemkanmardi is currently held by his brother and Forest Minister Satish Jarkiholi.

This statement from Ramesh Jarkiholi comes a day after he said that he was "technically with the Congress" suggesting an announcement was due soon.

He had also said, "I am happy to support Lakhan (another brother) if he decides to contest from Gokak. I am a responsible person and I have been in politics for many years. When Umesh Katti was refused the ticket from Chikkodi by the BJP, BS Yeddyurappa had met Umesh Katti and sorted out the issue within a matter of hours. Congress has not approached me at all."

Ramesh Jarkiholi was one of the four dissenting Congress MLAs whom the party hierarchy wants to be disqualified for failing to attend the special legislature party meeting called ahead of the Budget session. The three other dissenting MLAs are Mahesh Kumathahalli, Umesh Jadhav and B Nagendra.

Out of them, Jadhav has already joined the BJP and contested the Lok Sabha polls against Congress heavyweight and its leader in Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge from Kalaburagi.