With Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Jagadish Shettar and Laxman Savadi quitting BJP, the Congress, to which they have joined, is gearing up to building a narrative around “insult to the Lingayats in BJP” and “use and throw of Lingayat leaders by BJP” in the campaign for the May 10 assembly elections.Former BJP CM, Former BJP President,Former Leader of Opposition,Six times MLA,Sh. Jagadish Shettar joins the Congress family today in the presence of CP @kharge ji, Gen. Sec (Org) @kcvenugopalmp ji, PCC President @DKShivakumar ji & Congress in-charge, Karnataka @rssurjewala… pic.twitter.com/gY4wysOgzx— Congress (@INCIndia) April 17, 2023Along with these two prominent personalities, a few Lingayat leaders too have quit the party in different parts of the state which has come in handy for the Congress to take up the cause of the community which has otherwise been steadfastly backing the BJP over the last two decades.The near-complete support by the Lingayats was one of the main reasons for the rise of the BJP and its coming to power in Karnataka though the party has never won a majority. The party secured the support of the Lingayats because of B.S. Yediyurappa, its tallest Lingayat leader. The community support was more for one individual than the party and it was proved in 2013 – BSY had quit the BJP and formed his own party, Karnataka Janata Paksha, and this reduced the BJP to a mere 40 seats (out of 224) from 110 in 2008.KJP won only six seats but garnered 9.68% votes, finishing second in 36 constituencies and third in 35, showing the extent to which it damaged the prospects of the BJP. As BSY returned to BJP, the party did well in 2018, winning 104 seats.Also read: Karnataka: Will Congress Benefit From Laxman Savadi’s Defection?However, Congress believes that in 2023, the Lingayat support to the BJP has come down because BSY was removed from chief ministership in 2021. But then, BSY has involved himself fully in the BJP and his second son, B.Y. Vijayendra has been given a ticket to contest the family stronghold of Shikaripura seat. BSY’s elder son B.Y. Raghavendra is MP from Shivamogga.Still, Congress feels Lingayat support to the BJP will reduce this time around and is carefully planning its election strategy to suit Lingayats. It has given party tickets in good numbers to the Lingayats especially in north Karnataka where Lingayats hold the key in most seats. It has said it will use both Shetter, a former chief minister and Savadi, a former deputy CM in its campaign across the state.Shettar, 67, is a six-time MLA from Hubballi-Dharwad Central. He was also Speaker, Leader of Opposition and minister. He is a soft-natured and amiable person not known to aggressively take up issues. Many believe his influence may not extend beyond his own constituency but since he is a Lingayat, Congress wants to use him to build on the “insult” narrative effectively in north Karnataka.Lingayat community is a big community in Karnataka, they (BJP) accept BS Yediyurappa as their leader, and Jagadish Shettar was always in the second position. They also disrespected Yediyurappa by bringing him down from the CM post, which is why he cried when he resigned: Congress… pic.twitter.com/jgb9BrLTWY— ANI (@ANI) April 17, 2023On the other hand, BSY, unlike Shettar, is an aggressive politician, constantly on the move across the state, effectively taking up issues and pointing out the failures of the previous Congress governments. Of course, the late Anant Kumar and Shettar gave him the much-needed support in building the party and taking it from two seats in 1985 to later forming the government. That Shettar has been saying the BJP has not given him any reason for denying him ticket, that there were no charges against him and that he was not told in advance about the party’s plans for him, may act on the minds of the Lingayat voters, many believe.Also read: Karnataka Elections: BJP Faces Heat From Snubbed Leaders as It Juggles Competing InterestsShettar said as he quit BJP: “Today [April 17], I am leaving BJP and joining Congress. Many were surprised at a former CM and Opposition leader joining Congress. I was among those who organised and grew the party (BJP), especially in the North Karnataka region. BJP gave me respect and position. In exchange, I was a loyal worker who fulfilled his responsibilities in an honest manner. I won as an MLA six times by a margin of 20,000 to 25,000 votes every time. I have been running around in the constituency for the last two years. I thought I would be naturally fielded for the seventh time.”Perhaps having come to know the Congress plans on “insult to Lingayats”, BJP on Monday fielded Lingayat strongman Yediyurappa who lashed out at Shettar and Savadi for quitting the party. A day after telling the media that he would impress upon the BJP high command to give Shettar the party ticket, BSY said: “What Shettar has done is an unforgivable crime. What Savadi has done is break the trust of people and the party.” Shettar shot back: “Why did Yediyurappa quit BJP and launch his own party in 2012? Did not the party give him everything, make him the chief minister?”Several other BJP leaders in different parts of the state have quit the BJP, mostly after they were denied tickets. They include former minister Appu Pattanshetty from Vijayapura, three-time former MLA M.K. Pattanshetty from Badami, H.D. Thimmaiah, a close confidant of BJP national general secretary C.T. Ravi in Chikkamagaluru, etc. All these are perceived to affect the saffron outfit during the elections.B.S. Arun is a senior journalist based in Bengaluru.
