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A son rise in Belgaum politics is Kore-Katti gambit against rivals

Local political circles are abuzz with rumours that Amit's entry into the Congress is a joint operation by Prabhakar Kore and his associate, Umesh Katti, former minister and sugar baron, who has tasted power representing six parties in his career. Both Kore and Katti are former Congressmen.

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One of the most influential families in north Karnataka, the Kores seem to be hedging their political bets, with the head of the family, Prabhakar Kore, who is in the BJP, facilitating the entry of his son, Amit, into the Congress.

According to speculation, the senior Kore, whose tenure as Rajya Sabha member ends by mid-2014, wishes to ensure that Amit gets a Congress ticket to contest from Chikkodi Lok Sabha constituency in Belgaum district.

While on the face of it Amit seems to have rebelled against his father’s BJP politics, the father and son are together as far as their business interest go in education, sugar factory and cooperatives.
As directors, they control Karnataka Lingayat Education (KLE) Society, a mega educational institution.

Local political circles are abuzz with rumours that Amit’s entry into the Congress is a joint operation by Prabhakar Kore and his associate, Umesh Katti, former minister and sugar baron, who has tasted power representing six parties in his career. Both Kore and Katti are former Congressmen.

Amit’s admission into Congress, which has the blessings of the Congress high command according to Congress circles, is part of Kore’s plan to checkmate his political rival Muzrai minister Prakash Hukkeri, while Katti wants to cut to size his political adversary and Congress leader AB Patil, another former minister. The Katti-Patil rivalry dates back to 1983, when they were in the Janata Party and the Janata Dal. Katti has a good rapport with the Kore family for decades.

Kore, according to some, struck on the Amit gambit, when Hukkeri, who has been a thorn in the side of Prabhakar Kore in the district politics in the past, installed his son Ganesh as ZP member.

Kore’s two-decade old association with the Congress was broken when he provided the buildings of his KLE institutions for the assembly session held in Belgaum during HD Kumaraswamy’s chief ministership. His move irked former Congress leaders led by former chief minister N Dharam Singh. Kore then grew close to fellow Lingayat BS Yeddyurappa, the then deputy chief minister, and later joined the BJP in 2009.

Kore always had good relations with leaders of all parties, more so with Arun Jaitley. Now, although he is in the BJP, the senior Kore continues to have a good rapport with leaders of the Congress, BJP and even the NCP.

Amit’s induction into the Congress, incidentally, follows his father being part of the team of MPs accompanying president Pranab Mukherjee during the latter’s visit to Turkey from October 2 to 8.
Kore had earlier tried to get his son admitted to the BJP, but with the state BJP losing elections, he switched plans and looked to the Congress as a better bet, it is said.

Besides, with Yeddyurappa leaving the BJP, Kore was worried about his future in the BJP. Though he maintained distance from the KJP, he continues to have a soft corner for Yeddyurappa and has been attempting to get him back into the BJP.

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