Last Update: May 06, 2023, 13:26 IST
A challenge facing the BJP in its stronghold of the Kittur-Karnataka region is the rebellion of two senior Lingayat leaders— Jagadish Shettar (left) and Laxman Savadi. (News18)
Even though the BJP refuses to openly acknowledge the loss caused by the departure of senior Lingayat leaders, their exit has become a cause of concern for the saffron camp
The results of the last assembly elections in Mumbai-Karnataka – a Lingayat-dominated region comprising seven districts – stand as a testament to the community support enjoyed by the BJP. The saffron camp won 30 of the 50 seats in the region, taking its dominance to 104.
But this time, the party has to cross some hurdles to retain this voter base in the upcoming assembly elections, which are crucial keeping in mind the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
five spice hiccups
Panchamasali, a strong sub-sect of the Lingayat community, who are demanding 2A reservation for their community, have intensified their agitation in the last five months to pressurize the government to act swiftly and fulfill their demands. Have brought
The community priest who led the agitation also threatened the Basavaraj Bommai government of political consequences if it failed to bring it under the 2A quota.
Fearing to lose the vote bank and to ensure that they do not breach the 50 per cent reservation cap, the Bommai government took a back-road of scrapping the 4 per cent reservation given to Muslims under 2B and giving 2 per cent to Panchamasali. be provided. and 2 per cent to the Vokkaliga community who had a similar demand.
While community heads are said to be somewhat satisfied with the hike, some other community leaders leading the agitation are upset with the 2 per cent talk and are planning to take the legal route after the assembly elections.
The result of Panchamali’s movement was that the BJP was forced to give tickets to the leaders of this community in this election. Of the 67 tickets given to Lingayats in the BJP, Panchamasali has a higher number, but the quota unrest within the community is still not over.
The S-Factor: Shettar-Savdi
Another challenge facing the BJP in its stronghold of Kittur-Karnataka region is the rebellion of two senior Lingayat leaders – Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi.
Even though the BJP refuses to openly acknowledge the loss caused by the departure of senior Lingayat leaders, their exit has become a matter of concern for the saffron camp.
Shettar, who belongs to the Banjigas – the business class of Lingayats – can assert his influence and swing the Lingayat vote to the Congress, but his chances of winning remain controversial as people and local leaders are not comfortable with one person. Instead they are asked to remain loyal to one party. Some members of the Marwari community, which form a major chunk of the population in the Hubli-Dharwad constituency, feel the leader has betrayed the party.
Political analysts believe that Savadi’s exit from the BJP is a bigger loss to the party than Shettar for two reasons: one is the sub-community Ganiga to which Savadi belongs and second, the Marathi voters living in the border region of Karnataka. Savadi’s effect on .
“Groundnut is the primary cash crop grown on black soil which is present in Belgaum, Gulbarga, Bagalkot, Bijapur and Bidar and wherever groundnut is cultivated there are ganigas extracting groundnut oil. So in all 10-12 constituencies from Belagavi to Gulbarga, the leaders of the Ganiga community can dominate the Savadi votes. That is why his joining the Congress will not only benefit leaders from Belgaum but also leaders from Bijapur, Gulbarga, Bagalkot and to an extent Bidar,” says political analyst Hrishikesh Bahadur.
But will Gniga leader Savadi’s campaign outlast those of other Lingayat leaders like Yediyurappa, Yatnal, or Ramesh Katti and whether it will counter Savadi’s upset, which will decide the fate of both the parties in the Kittur-Karnataka region.
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