A Lingayat Chief Minister? The politics of Karnataka is facing an important question. let’s understand why

BJP’s Lingayat leadersLingayat CMCampaign to counter this in election-bound Karnataka Congress’s narrative to portray the ruling party as “anti-Lingayat”,

Lingayat leaders Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi quit the BJP and joined the Congress after they were denied tickets in the May 10 assembly elections. Since then the ruling party has been on damage control mode and the Congress has accused it of doing “injustice” to Lingayats and being “anti-Lingayat”.

Lingayat leaders of BJP met on Wednesday evening at the residence of Karnataka BJP stalwart and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa.Wherein suggestions were made to counter the Congress narrative by speculating that the next CM would be from the community in case the party comes to power.

Why the hue and cry over Lingayats?

The politically influential Lingayat community forms about 17 per cent of the state’s population.Mostly in the northern parts of the state, which the BJP considers its strong vote-base.

Who are Lingayats?

Lingayats, who have been supporters of the BJP for more than two decades, are said to dominate the results for 100 of the state’s 224 assembly seats.

The Lingayat religion is believed to have evolved from the teachings of the 12th century social reformer and Kannada poet Basava. However, many scholars believe that he helped establish an established sect. Basava, who was inspired by the ‘Bhakti’ movement, rejected temple worship and Brahmin ceremonies in favor of a religion free from gender and religious bias, says a report impression,

Over the years, many people from backward castes chose to be Lingayats to escape the rigid Hindu caste system.

Although the caste distinctions uprooted earlier by the Lingayats have been modified in the present day, the sect is vehemently anti-Brahmin and opposes the worship of any image other than the lingam, as Per Britannica, He spoke much of the nineteenth century social reform movements’ rejection of the authority of the Vedas, the doctrine of transmigration of the soul, child marriage and the ill-treatment of widows. In the early twenty-first century, some Lingayats began lobbying the Indian government for legal recognition as a religion separate from Hinduism, or as a caste within Hinduism, the report said.

Recent Reservation Line

On March 30, the BJP-led Karnataka government notified the cabinet’s decision to cancel the 4% backward classes quota for Muslims – who have been recognized as backward classes in Karnataka for more than 100 years – And the Muslim OBC quota has been reallocated. The two most influential communities in the state, the Lingayats and the Vokkaligas.

according to a reports From Indian ExpressReservations were strongly demanded by the Panchamasalis, a sub-group of the Lingayat population, who wanted to be included in the 2A reservation category, and the Vokkaligas, who wanted their 4% quota increased to 12%. If the demands were not met, then the electoral maths of the BJP would probably have been ‘thrown’.

Shettar leaving and a different game

according to a reports By One IndiaShettar’s exit came as a blow as the powerful Lingayat political leader is seen as ‘somebody who never rebelled against the party’ and who always toed the party line. Leading election analyst Sandeep Shastri told the publication that the lesson from the incident was ‘people management’.

Shastri said Shettar’s claims of his departure affecting 25 seats have been exaggerated. When one considers the events surrounding Shettar, one must realize that the central leadership has finally won, he explained, adding that both BS Yediyurappa and Prahlad Joshi had announced that Shettar would definitely get the ticket. He said that despite these announcements, it is clear that the central leadership will not back down on this issue.

“In a sense, if one looks at it, what both Yeddyurappa and Joshi said has been negated. Though I wonder if the same model would work here. Replacing old leaders worked in Gujarat, but it remains to be seen whether it will work given the uniqueness of Karnataka. One India,

A Lingayat Chief Minister?

On Thursday, answering questions from reporters, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai confirmed that a late-night meeting decided to firmly counter “misinformation” being spread by the Congress on “certain issues”. “There were some suggestions (on ‘Lingayat-CM’). Dharmendra Pradhan (the Union minister who is BJP’s Karnataka election in-charge) was also there. He (Pradhan) said he would convey our sentiments (on the need for a Lingayat-chief minister) to the high command.

When a reporter asked again about the Congress’s narrative that the BJP was “anti-Lingayat”, the Chief Minister tried to answer: “You want to keep this issue alive?” Bommai said that in the last 50 years since 1967, the Congress has not made any Lingayat the chief minister except for Virendra Patil’s nine-month tenure. “Don’t ask that question again”, he told the reporter.

There are many examples of how the Congress treated senior Lingayat leaders, the Chief Minister said, adding that people will not forget how the Congress tried to break the community (demanding a separate religious status for the community). years ago to create a “vote bank”.

“There is dignity, respect and opportunity for everyone in the BJP,” Bommai said. He alleged that the Congress “betrayed” Dalits, Lingayats and backward classes.

According to sources, the BJP is assessing the ‘possible Lingayat backlash’ after the exit of Laxman Savadi and Jagadish Shettar. Sources told CNN-News18 that even after various measures were brainstormed at Wednesday’s meeting, many within the party are asking the BJP leadership to announce that a Veerashiva-Lingayat will be made the next chief minister.

With inputs from PTI

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