‘Will stake claim for CM post after the 2028 polls’
Yathindra wanted me to succeed Siddaramaiah as ‘Ahinda leader’ not as CM, says Jarkiholi
Jarkiholi said that the MLC was speaking at a meeting of the Ahinda community when he said that his father was at the final stages of his political career. (Photo: X/@JarkiholiSatish) 
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Close on the heels of comments by Congress MLC and CM Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra that Karnataka Public Works Department minister Satish Jarkiholi should succeed Siddaramaiah, the minister has maintained that he has no such aspirations until the next elections. The MLC wanted me to succeed as the ‘Ahinda leader’ after Siddaramaiah and not as the CM, Jarkiholi said Thursday, adding that there was no question of changing CM until Siddaramaiah was active.
A day earlier, speaking at an event in Raibag, Belagavi district, Yathindra had said that his father “is in the final stages of his political life. At such a juncture, there should be a leader to guide and lead others towards rational and progressive ideologies. Jarkiholi will take that responsibility,” he said.
The statement was seen in the light of the ceaseless speculation over change of CM in Karnataka, and that the Siddaramaiah camp was putting its weight behind the leader from Valmiki community who is also an ardent follower of the CM. Jarkiholi, responding to the same, said that Yathindra was pitching him to be the next ‘Ahinda’ (Alpasankyatharu, Hindulidavaru and Dalitaru — a coalition of Dalit, minority and backward communities) leader.
“I have already said in the past that I would stake claim for CM post after the 2028 polls,” he said, noting that there have been discussions on who would succeed Siddaramaiah as Ahinda leader in the party. “When the time is right, we will get the answer,” Jarkiholi told reporters.
Referring to the context of Yathindra’s remarks, Jarkiholi said that the MLC was speaking at a meeting of the Ahinda community when he said that his father was at the final stages of his political career. “He wanted me to be the Ahinda leader. Becoming CM is later. Someone has to take the (Ahinda) leadership role,” he said.
Siddaramaiah is amongst the leaders in Karnataka who pushed for an Ahinda block to politically take on the dominant communities such as Vokkaligas and Lingayats. He was expelled from JD(S) in 2005 after holding multiple rallies for Ahinda consolidation across the state. Jarkiholi was among the leaders who quit JD(S) in solidarity with Siddaramaiah and has remained in the Congress since.
Dy CM D K Shivakumar, who is considered a contender to either replace or succeed Siddaramaiah as the next CM, told reporters Thursday that he did want to react to the comments by Yathindra. “I will respond at an appropriate time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar loyalist and Ramanagar MLA Iqbal Hussain said that Yathindra should not have made such comments. “I request him to not create confusion…. Shivakumar is leading the party efficiently and taking it ahead. Such statements do not augur well to anyone,” he said, adding that Yathindra should consider his limits while speaking.
Satish Jarkiholi represents Yemkanmardi constituency in Belagavi district, his fourth consecutive term. He was a front-runner for the KPCC chief’s post being held by Dy CM Shivakumar. Considered a power centre within a section of the state Congress, he commands loyalty from several backward communities, especially the ST community from which he belongs.
Two of his brothers are BJP MLAs and former ministers — Ramesh Jarkiholi and Balachandra Jarkiholi — while another Lakhan Jarkiholi was elected as an independent MLC in 2021.
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