Karnataka MLA Savadi blames Satish for Congress’s poor show in Athani

BELAGAVI: Former DyCM Laxman Savadi, who is also Athani MLA, has hit back at PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi for blaming him for the party’s dismal performance in the Athani Assembly constituency in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

Savadi, who was with the BJP in the past, said the Congress got 7,000 fewer votes in Athani than what it bagged in the 2023 Assembly elections owing to the inability of Satish to capitalise on the chances he had to perform better.

Congress candidate from Chikkodi Lok Sabha seat, Priyanka Jarkiholi, polled 87,376 votes from Athani Assembly segment in the recent polls. Speaking to the media in Bagalkot on Monday, Savadi said it was necessary for Satish to first understand about the traditional voting pattern over the years in Athani before blaming anyone.

Savadi said he lost the Assembly polls from Athani in 2018 but the BJP went on to gain the lead in the 2019 bypolls. So, political equations and situation would be different every time, he added. He said several reasons led to the poor consolidation of Congress votes in Athani and there was a need to assess it.