Annasaheb Jolle

History was created in Belagavi when the BJP decided to field husband and wife – Annasaheb and Shashikala Jolle –from Chikkodi-Sadalaga and Nippani constituencies in the 2018 Assembly elections.

While Ms. Shashikala is an MLA from Nippani, Mr. Annasaheb will be trying his luck for the second time, after an unsuccessful bout 14 years ago. Ms. Shashikala will be fighting her traditional political rival Kakasaheb Patil and Mr. Annasaheb will be taking on Congress MLA Ganesh Hukkeri, son of Chikkodi MP Prakash Hukkeri.

Both the Hukkeris and the Jolles hail from the same village – Eksamba in Nippani taluk. While the Hukkeris belong to the Panchamsali community, the Jolles are Banajiga Lingayats, from the trading class.

More popular

The Hukkeris are significantly popular among voters. Prakash Hukkeri won more than one lakh of the 1.49 lakh votes polled in 2013 Assembly election. Then he quit to enter the Lok Sabha in 2014. His son, Ganesh, nearly equalled him in 2014, with 94,696 votes that helped defeat Mahantesh Kavatagimath, who is a BJP MLC now. BJP sources say it was difficult to find a leader of some standing to take on the Hukkeri family in Chikkodi-Sadalaga, till they zeroed in on Mr. Annasaheb. Prakash Hukkeri defeated Mr. Annasaheb, a BJP nominee, in 2004.

Achievements

Hailing from Eksamba village on the Karnataka-Maharashtra border, Mr Annasaheb, born into a traditional, land-owning Lingayat family, turned its fortunes around by venturing into cooperative societies and setting up educational institutions. Now, the Beereshwar Cooperative Society promoted by the Jolle family runs supermarkets and credit cooperative societies. The Beereshwar Cooperative Bank has over 120 branches in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

Mr. Annasaheb is also the president of the Karnataka Cooperative Oil Seed Growers’ Federation.

The couple also created the Jolle Foundation, now run by their two sons. It runs a school for the disabled in Nippani.

Ms. Shashikala is well-known at Lingayat Mutts in North Karnataka. She funds the job mela and skill workshop conducted by the Basava Seva Pratishtana in Bidar and Kalaburagi. She, soon turning 50, has declared assets of ₹24 crore and liabilities of ₹8 crore.

Ms. Shashikala hails from Ghataprabha where she studied up to SSLC. Third-time MLA Kakasaheb Patil, defeated her in 2008. But she came back to defeat him in 2013 by winning over 81,800 votes. Her name was included in the BJP’s first list. Mr. Annasaheb’s name appeared in the second list released on Monday.