<p>Ballari: Elections will be held on Thursday for 12 director positions in Raichur, Ballari, Koppal, and Vijayanagara Districts Co-operative Milk Producers’ Societies Union (RaBaKoVi), with the results also set to be announced the same day.</p><p>Of the total director positions, Ballari and Vijayanagara districts share four seats, while Raichur and Koppal have been allocated four seats each. Three of the total positions are reserved for women. A total of 28 candidates from the four districts under the union are contesting the election.</p><p>Though the RaBaKoVi elections are not held under political party symbols, both the Congress and the BJP have formed syndicates and jumped into the fray. Each party has fielded four candidates from each district.</p><p>Only 466 societies across the four districts are eligible to vote. These include 229 votes from Vijayanagara, 28 from Ballari, 154 from Koppal, and 55 from Raichur. A representative has been appointed from each eligible society to cast the vote. These representatives should select four directors (including one woman candidate) for their respective districts. The four candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be declared elected.</p><p><strong>Ballari’s identity at stake</strong></p><p>While Raichur and Koppal have been allotted four positions each under the union’s jurisdiction, Ballari and Vijayanagara together share only four. Despite Vijayanagara having the highest number of votes in the union, Ballari has the fewest. As a result, Ballari candidates have minimal chances of winning.</p><p>There are no signs that political leaders have made efforts to find a political solution to this issue. No single leader has attempted to field consensus candidates from both districts. In fact, Ballari’s political representatives appear to have bowed before the influential leaders of Vijayanagara, giving the impression that the electoral battle is already lost. This has triggered accusations that Ballari’s identity has been sacrificed by its own politicians.</p><p><strong>Role of money, caste</strong></p><p>Even in this milk producers’ union election, the game of money and caste is clearly visible. One group is allegedly offering up to Rs one lakh per vote, while the rival group is said to be offering up to Rs 50,000. Alongside this, caste dynamics are playing a significant role. It is said that over 150 of the votes in Vijayanagara district belong to a single community, which has become a tough challenge for some strong candidates.</p><p><strong>Candidates in fray</strong></p><p>Ballari (4): P Jagannath, K Pratap Reddy, M Sudheer, G Chandrakala.</p><p>Vijayanagara (8): Aigola Chidananda, Poojar Mallikarjun, K Bharama Reddy, L B P Bheemanaik, H Marulasiddappa, B Siddesh, G Nagaveni and H Ratnamma.</p><p>Koppal (8): Krishnareddy Galabi, Jayateerthrao Desai, Manjunath, Venkanagouda, Shivappa Vadi, Satyanarayana, Kamalavva and Kavita.</p><p>Raichur (8): Amaragundappa, Ningappa, B Praveen Kumar, Bheemana Gouda, A Ravindra, G Satyanarayana, C H Krishnaveni and N Seetharamalakshmi.</p>
<p>Ballari: Elections will be held on Thursday for 12 director positions in Raichur, Ballari, Koppal, and Vijayanagara Districts Co-operative Milk Producers’ Societies Union (RaBaKoVi), with the results also set to be announced the same day.</p><p>Of the total director positions, Ballari and Vijayanagara districts share four seats, while Raichur and Koppal have been allocated four seats each. Three of the total positions are reserved for women. A total of 28 candidates from the four districts under the union are contesting the election.</p><p>Though the RaBaKoVi elections are not held under political party symbols, both the Congress and the BJP have formed syndicates and jumped into the fray. Each party has fielded four candidates from each district.</p><p>Only 466 societies across the four districts are eligible to vote. These include 229 votes from Vijayanagara, 28 from Ballari, 154 from Koppal, and 55 from Raichur. A representative has been appointed from each eligible society to cast the vote. These representatives should select four directors (including one woman candidate) for their respective districts. The four candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be declared elected.</p><p><strong>Ballari’s identity at stake</strong></p><p>While Raichur and Koppal have been allotted four positions each under the union’s jurisdiction, Ballari and Vijayanagara together share only four. Despite Vijayanagara having the highest number of votes in the union, Ballari has the fewest. As a result, Ballari candidates have minimal chances of winning.</p><p>There are no signs that political leaders have made efforts to find a political solution to this issue. No single leader has attempted to field consensus candidates from both districts. In fact, Ballari’s political representatives appear to have bowed before the influential leaders of Vijayanagara, giving the impression that the electoral battle is already lost. This has triggered accusations that Ballari’s identity has been sacrificed by its own politicians.</p><p><strong>Role of money, caste</strong></p><p>Even in this milk producers’ union election, the game of money and caste is clearly visible. One group is allegedly offering up to Rs one lakh per vote, while the rival group is said to be offering up to Rs 50,000. Alongside this, caste dynamics are playing a significant role. It is said that over 150 of the votes in Vijayanagara district belong to a single community, which has become a tough challenge for some strong candidates.</p><p><strong>Candidates in fray</strong></p><p>Ballari (4): P Jagannath, K Pratap Reddy, M Sudheer, G Chandrakala.</p><p>Vijayanagara (8): Aigola Chidananda, Poojar Mallikarjun, K Bharama Reddy, L B P Bheemanaik, H Marulasiddappa, B Siddesh, G Nagaveni and H Ratnamma.</p><p>Koppal (8): Krishnareddy Galabi, Jayateerthrao Desai, Manjunath, Venkanagouda, Shivappa Vadi, Satyanarayana, Kamalavva and Kavita.</p><p>Raichur (8): Amaragundappa, Ningappa, B Praveen Kumar, Bheemana Gouda, A Ravindra, G Satyanarayana, C H Krishnaveni and N Seetharamalakshmi.</p>
