The Hukkeri Rural Electric Co-operative Society Limited (HREC), Karnataka’s only cooperative power supply company, is set to hold its elections this Sunday.
These elections are particularly contentious, pitting the influential Jarkiholi and Katti families against each other for control of the agency. This society is uniquely responsible for managing power infrastructure, supply, and tariff collection across the Hukkeri taluk.
Unlike other parts of North Karnataka, where the Hubballi Electricity Supply Company (HESCOM) oversees such operations, Hukkeri taluk falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of HREC.
Established in 1969 under the Karnataka Co-operative Societies Act 1959, HREC holds the distinction of being India’s very first electric cooperative society. Its inception was driven by local cooperative leaders, notably Appannagouda Patil, who championed Gandhian principles of self-reliance.
For more than four decades, leadership of HREC has remained largely within the Katti family. Vishwanath Katti, father of the late former Minister Umesh Katti, served as its chairman for an extensive period.
Following Vishwanath Katti’s passing, Umesh Katti assumed the chairmanship. In recent times, the society’s operations have been managed by a panel closely aligned with the Katti family.
However, the political landscape shifted significantly after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Former MP and BJP leader Anna Saheb Jolle attributed his electoral defeat to what he perceived as a lack of support from the Katti family members, who are prominent BJP figures in Hukkeri.
Concurrently, the untimely demise of Umesh Katti in 2022 was seen as weakening the Katti family’s hold on the taluk’s political affairs.
This society, which operates exclusively within Hukkeri taluk on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border, serves approximately 90,000 members. Among these, 61,000 are eligible to vote. On polling day, they will cast ballots to elect 15 members to the board of directors, who will then proceed to choose a chairman and vice-chairman.
The board will comprise nine members from the general category, two women, two from Scheduled Castes (SCs) or Scheduled Tribes (STs), and two from Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Intriguingly, these elections are not adhering to traditional party lines. Mr. Jolle is campaigning against fellow BJP members Ramesh Katti and his nephew, BJP MLA Nikhil Katti.
Supporting Mr. Jolle’s campaign are the influential Jarkiholi brothers, including BJP leaders Ramesh Jarkiholi and Balachandra Jarkiholi, as well as Congress leader and Minister Satish Jarkiholi.
The election campaign has intensified, marked by sharp accusations. Satish Jarkiholi has publicly accused Ramesh Katti of widespread irregularities within the society, while Ramesh Katti, in turn, alleges that the Jarkiholi brothers are seizing land from the poor and marginalized through intimidation or inducements.
Ramesh Katti has branded the Jarkiholis as ‘outsiders’ attempting to seize control of the society. Satish Jarkiholi countered this by asserting their lineage as zamindars of Jarkiholi village within Hukkeri taluk, who later relocated to Gokak. The Jolle-Jarkiholi faction has strategically named their electoral panel after the society’s founder, Appannagouda Patil, seemingly to imply that the Katti family unjustly took over from the original leadership.
Further endorsing this narrative, Mr. Patil’s grandson has delivered speeches in support of the Jolle-Jarkiholi group.
The Jarkiholi brothers have also vehemently denied accusations of anti-Lingayat bias. Balachandra Jarkiholi has provided assurances that no member of the Jarkiholi family will seek the positions of chairman or vice-chairman, committing instead that these two significant roles will be occupied by members of the Lingayat community.
MLC Lakhan Jarkiholi emphasized that their family has consistently supported Lingayat, Jain, and Brahmin traders and officials residing in and around Gokak.
Satish Jarkiholi highlighted the inclusion of Anna Saheb Jolle, a prominent Lingayat leader, in his electoral panel as further evidence.
Interestingly, Satish Jarkiholi’s son, Rahul Jarkiholi, has been actively campaigning in villages on behalf of his father’s team. However, the Minister himself has maintained ambiguity regarding his own potential candidature within the society.
The voting, which will utilize ballot papers, is scheduled for Sunday across two designated polling booths. The results of these eagerly anticipated elections are expected to be announced two days after the polling.