Meeting Raises Questions About Joshi’s Relationship with Local Leadership

Hubli Express News, Hubballi: In a move that has raised eyebrows, a meeting of BJP leaders was held in Hubballi on Saturday evening in support of Minister Pralhad Joshi for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. The meeting was reportedly led by former minister CC Patil, who is not from the district.

According to sources, the meeting was attended by leaders from the Lingayat community, who called for supporting Joshi in the election. Patil reportedly claimed that he became a minister in the previous government thanks to Joshi’s backing and urged others to return the favor.

However, the meeting was noticeably absent of any major BJP leaders from the Dharwad district, including Jagadish Shettar, MLAs Mahesh Tenginkai and Arvind Bellad, former MLAs Shankar Patil Munenakoppa and Amrut Desai, and city district president Tippanna Majjagi. This has led to questions about the reasons behind the meeting and whether Joshi does not trust the local Lingayat leadership.

When contacted for comment, Shankar Mugad, president of the Karnataka Milk Federation, refused to comment, citing busy schedules. MLA MR Patil also did not respond to calls.

The meeting has sparked speculation about possible rifts within the BJP in the Dharwad district ahead of the Lok Sabha election. It remains to be seen how this will impact Joshi’s campaign and the party’s overall prospects in the region.