As the political atmosphere in the North is becoming heated KarnatakaAhead of the voting on May 7, covering 14 constituencies, all eyes are on the Lingayat community, a dominant caste in the region. LingayatIt is the largest single community in the state, accounting for about 17% of the 5.3 crore voters, while the Vokkaligas, another politically important group, account for about 12%.
Changes were seen in the Lingayat community BJP in the last assembly Election, raising questions about whether he would reaffirm his allegiance to the party in the Lok Sabha elections. Lingayat politics, deeply entangled in socio-cultural dynamics, plays a crucial role in shaping the electoral fortunes of the BJP and Congress, In 2019, BJP swept the region by winning all 14 seats.
In last year’s state elections, 37 of the Congress’s 46 Lingayat candidates won, a significant increase from the 13 seats it won in 2018. In contrast, despite the party fielding 69 candidates from the community, only 15 Lingayats from the BJP emerged victorious. This seismic change was a major contributing factor to the Congress’s landslide victory.
Lingayats dominate nearly 90 of the 224 assembly constituencies in the state, and though there were many reasons for the community switching from the BJP to the Congress, the sidelining of strong Lingayat leader Yediyurappa was the major reason.
“There was a perception that Lingayats were opposed to the Congress, but this was proved wrong in the assembly elections last year. Now there is speculation that Lingayats will go back to BJP. We will prove it wrong again,” Karnataka minister MB Patil asserted. His claim was supported by Ishwar Khandre, who is also a minister and prominent Lingayat leader in the Congress.
The results of 14 seats in North Karnataka hold special significance not only for BJP’s total seats but also for the future of BSY and his son BY Vijayendra.
Yediyurappa had to step down as CM in July 2021, during his fourth term, following a series of corruption allegations. His resignation led to a reaction from Lingayats and the subsequent appointment of Basavaraj Bommai, a BSY supporter, added fuel to the fire. The protesters, including 500 influential Lingayat sadhus, expressed their dissatisfaction, warning of “irreparable” damage.
Allegations of corruption spread to claims of misconduct in government contracts, increasing tensions. Additionally, the denial of tickets to other prominent Lingayats like Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi further strained relations between the BJP and the community, which has produced nine chief ministers in the state. Efforts by Bommai to improve relations before the assembly elections, including a last-minute increase in job and education reservations, proved inadequate.
In an effort at damage control ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP reinstated Yediyurappa as a member of the party’s highest decision-making body, the BJP Parliamentary Board, and appointed his son Vijayendra as the state BJP chief. These maneuvers were also aimed at fostering an electoral alliance with the JD(S), which is dependent on Vokkaliga support.
For the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has fielded nine Lingayats and three Vokkaligas across the 25 seats it is contesting, while the Congress has fielded six Vokkaligas and five Lingayats. JD(S) has allotted tickets to two Vokkaligas on its three seats, while the third seat has been given to another community.
Shettar, who had earlier left the party, is now hinting at a comeback home, while Savadi, though having limited influence within the community, is inclined to rejoin the BJP despite his current involvement with the grand old party. Showing. Prominent Panchamasali Lingayat leader and deputy opposition leader in the assembly, Arvind Bellad, said, “The Lingayat support base has already come back to the BJP and we are expecting a clean sweep in North Karnataka once again.”
However, party insiders and Congress members insist that this would be an oversimplification. The BJP is grappling with internal dissent, with several senior functionaries, including prominent Lingayat figures like Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, expressing dissatisfaction over the decision to appoint a first-time MLA as party president. Apart from this, senior party functionary KS Eshwarappa, who along with Yediyurappa played a key role in building BJP in Karnataka for four decades, is also unhappy with Vijayendra’s choice.
Eshwarappa is now contesting from Shimoga against Yediyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra. A senior RSS functionary said, “These developments clearly indicate a lack of unity within the party, as there is a belief that if the BJP gets more than 20 seats, the party will be under the control of the Yediyurappa family for the next two decades.” Will stay in.” Said.
Moreover, Congress is leaving no stone unturned to retain its Lingayat support base, which it has regained after 3-4 decades. Apart from its Ahinda – a combination of Muslims, OBCs (other than Lingayats and Vokkaligas) and SC/ST) politics, the party is trying to build an umbrella alliance in the state by appealing to Vokkaligas in the south and Lingayats in the north. , Moreover, the Congress is attracting some Lingayat votes with prominent community figures like Patil, Shamur Shivashankarappa, Ishwar Khandre and Vinay Kulkarni.
With Kuruba leader Siddaramaiah holding the CM post in both 2013 and 2024 and Dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s rising prominence in national affairs, the Congress has reinvigorated Ahinda politics in Karnataka. The party aims to take advantage of this revival to deliver another blow to the BJP’s long-standing support base in North Karnataka.
Changes were seen in the Lingayat community BJP in the last assembly Election, raising questions about whether he would reaffirm his allegiance to the party in the Lok Sabha elections. Lingayat politics, deeply entangled in socio-cultural dynamics, plays a crucial role in shaping the electoral fortunes of the BJP and Congress, In 2019, BJP swept the region by winning all 14 seats.
In last year’s state elections, 37 of the Congress’s 46 Lingayat candidates won, a significant increase from the 13 seats it won in 2018. In contrast, despite the party fielding 69 candidates from the community, only 15 Lingayats from the BJP emerged victorious. This seismic change was a major contributing factor to the Congress’s landslide victory.
Lingayats dominate nearly 90 of the 224 assembly constituencies in the state, and though there were many reasons for the community switching from the BJP to the Congress, the sidelining of strong Lingayat leader Yediyurappa was the major reason.
“There was a perception that Lingayats were opposed to the Congress, but this was proved wrong in the assembly elections last year. Now there is speculation that Lingayats will go back to BJP. We will prove it wrong again,” Karnataka minister MB Patil asserted. His claim was supported by Ishwar Khandre, who is also a minister and prominent Lingayat leader in the Congress.
The results of 14 seats in North Karnataka hold special significance not only for BJP’s total seats but also for the future of BSY and his son BY Vijayendra.
Yediyurappa had to step down as CM in July 2021, during his fourth term, following a series of corruption allegations. His resignation led to a reaction from Lingayats and the subsequent appointment of Basavaraj Bommai, a BSY supporter, added fuel to the fire. The protesters, including 500 influential Lingayat sadhus, expressed their dissatisfaction, warning of “irreparable” damage.
Allegations of corruption spread to claims of misconduct in government contracts, increasing tensions. Additionally, the denial of tickets to other prominent Lingayats like Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi further strained relations between the BJP and the community, which has produced nine chief ministers in the state. Efforts by Bommai to improve relations before the assembly elections, including a last-minute increase in job and education reservations, proved inadequate.
In an effort at damage control ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP reinstated Yediyurappa as a member of the party’s highest decision-making body, the BJP Parliamentary Board, and appointed his son Vijayendra as the state BJP chief. These maneuvers were also aimed at fostering an electoral alliance with the JD(S), which is dependent on Vokkaliga support.
For the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP has fielded nine Lingayats and three Vokkaligas across the 25 seats it is contesting, while the Congress has fielded six Vokkaligas and five Lingayats. JD(S) has allotted tickets to two Vokkaligas on its three seats, while the third seat has been given to another community.
Shettar, who had earlier left the party, is now hinting at a comeback home, while Savadi, though having limited influence within the community, is inclined to rejoin the BJP despite his current involvement with the grand old party. Showing. Prominent Panchamasali Lingayat leader and deputy opposition leader in the assembly, Arvind Bellad, said, “The Lingayat support base has already come back to the BJP and we are expecting a clean sweep in North Karnataka once again.”
However, party insiders and Congress members insist that this would be an oversimplification. The BJP is grappling with internal dissent, with several senior functionaries, including prominent Lingayat figures like Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, expressing dissatisfaction over the decision to appoint a first-time MLA as party president. Apart from this, senior party functionary KS Eshwarappa, who along with Yediyurappa played a key role in building BJP in Karnataka for four decades, is also unhappy with Vijayendra’s choice.
Eshwarappa is now contesting from Shimoga against Yediyurappa’s son BY Raghavendra. A senior RSS functionary said, “These developments clearly indicate a lack of unity within the party, as there is a belief that if the BJP gets more than 20 seats, the party will be under the control of the Yediyurappa family for the next two decades.” Will stay in.” Said.
Moreover, Congress is leaving no stone unturned to retain its Lingayat support base, which it has regained after 3-4 decades. Apart from its Ahinda – a combination of Muslims, OBCs (other than Lingayats and Vokkaligas) and SC/ST) politics, the party is trying to build an umbrella alliance in the state by appealing to Vokkaligas in the south and Lingayats in the north. , Moreover, the Congress is attracting some Lingayat votes with prominent community figures like Patil, Shamur Shivashankarappa, Ishwar Khandre and Vinay Kulkarni.
With Kuruba leader Siddaramaiah holding the CM post in both 2013 and 2024 and Dalit leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s rising prominence in national affairs, the Congress has reinvigorated Ahinda politics in Karnataka. The party aims to take advantage of this revival to deliver another blow to the BJP’s long-standing support base in North Karnataka.
