“Outsider” Shettar wants to destroy the Congress in their stronghold of Hebbalkar

As Mrinal Hebbalkar (Congress) and Jagadish Shettar (BJP) prepare to square off in the Belagavi Lok Sabha seat, both candidates’ families are bracing themselves for an intense, high-stakes campaign.

 

Belagavi, which was formerly a constituency that often altered the direction of state politics, has lost its luster as family politics has unpredictably gained popularity recently. Important topics including policy, infrastructure, state and national affairs, development, etc., have received less attention. In the 2023 Assembly elections, the Congress won five of the eight Assembly seats, while the BJP won the remaining two.

Six-time MLA and former chief minister Jagadish Shettar is running against political newcomer Mrinal Hebbalkar, the 31-year-old son of Minister of Women and Child Development Laxmi Hebbalkar. They are both members of the main Lingayat group.

Beyond the caste, Shettar’s experience as chief minister, leader of the Opposition, and chairman of the state BJP strengthens his position. The BJP selected Shettar because the Angadi family has won all five of the party’s previous elections and the area has served as a stronghold for the party since the early 2000s. Shettar’s daughter-in-law is Angadi’s daughter.

A segment of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Belagavi is perturbed by the party’s selection of Shettar, a Hubballi-born “outsider.” Shettar, however, told TNIE that he has been embraced by the people and party officials in Belagavi and that the Modi factor would play a significant role in the votes.

On the other side, Mrinal’s high-profile campaign in several areas of Belagavi has enabled him to assess his level of support. Since Mrinal is a rookie, the campaign is being led by his mother, Laxmi Hebbalkar. In recent years, her clever management of the campaigns has enabled her to become MLA twice and install her brother as MLC. Political pundits predict that Laxmi Hebbalkar’s career will soar to new heights in state politics with a victory and plummet with a defeat.

“The ambitions of the Jarkiholi brothers to establish a firm grip over Belagavi politics may also be hindered by Hebbalkar’s triumph. Though the Gokak brothers would go to great lengths to further their political goals, experts believe that despite the woman’s enormous killing potential.

Shettar and Mrinal are both working independently to support their campaigns; their parties and activists are not as interested. Both parties are engaged in family politics, with Laxmi Hebbalkar leading the charge in all current campaigns rather than Mrinal or the other party leaders, while Shettar is leading the charge personally as a revolt within the party is on the rise.

“The two Lingayat candidates seem to be dividing the main Lingayat community, which has always supported the BJP. Mahadev Patil, the meek candidate put out by MES, which garnered a substantial 1.17 lakh votes in the LS bypolls in 2021 in Belagavi, may keep the BJP’s votes from flowing to MES. According to a political analyst, both candidates should get over 5 lakh votes apiece given the current circumstances, and one of them will win or lose by 20,000 to 30,000 votes.

Shettar responded to TNIE when asked whether he would win the election by saying that the people of Belagavi will support PM Narendra Modi and that the whole nation wanted him to lead the nation for another ten years. “As CM and BJP leader over the years, I have also made significant contributions to the development of the Belagavi region,” he said.

Laxmi Hebbalkar is optimistic about her son’s outcome. She believes that the promises made by the Congress government to better people’s lives should be helpful to her. She said that her son would go on in the same manner as an MP if he won, citing the significant changes that had occurred in her Belagavi rural assembly segment.

Laxmi Hebbalkar’s powerful political family is engaged in a cold war with the Jarkiholi brothers for control of Belagavi’s political affairs. Laxmi recently succeeded in electing her brother as MLC, and she now wants her son Mrinal to be an MP. To guarantee Mrinal’s loss, the Jarkiholi brothers—two BJP MLAs, one Independent MLC, and one Cong MLA—might cooperate.

The BJP aims to keep up its winning trend in order to gain full control of the Belagavi seat. The “Modi factor” and the predominate Lingayat community play a major role.